Film critics are lambasting horror director Eli Roth’s Death Wish reboot starring Bruce Willis. It seems some consider the film ill-suited in the current political climate in the U.S., especially in light of the current gun control debate. The AV Club even described it as “right-wing violence porn” and on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a very low 17 percent “rotten” rating.
“The grossest part of the entire movie are the milliseconds between when you smile at what you’re seeing and when you recoil at what it means…” – Indiewire
“It’s an awful month to release an action movie where a good guy with a gun stands triumphant on a stack of corpses – even if you support the NRA.” – The Guardian
“Audiences have been consuming overripe revenge thrillers for 45 years now, and they no longer take them all that seriously. Blowing someone away with unsmiling moral cool is now an act of violent comedy.” – Variety
“Death Wish” is a catechism for an audience terrified that their firepower and their influence are dwindling.” – Boston Globe
“As expected, the film is as tone deaf as expected, but so much else is wrong with it that audiences may be too busy laughing to notice.” – Punch Drunk Critics
It’s important to note that Death Wish’s audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes is sitting at a very high 82% and currently has a 6.6 out of 10 on IMDb. Go figure.
