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Parents' Guide to

Death Wish (1974)

By Andrea Beach, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Sexual violence, cursing in strongly pro-vigilante drama.

Movie R 1974 93 minutes
Death Wish (1974) Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

age 17+

One of the best Vigilante films. Based in New York City "back when the city was filled with crime!"

There's typical violence, such as bloody shootings throughout the film. But the most brutal part of this movie was a rape scene. This scene was very hard to watch. A mother and her daughter were beaten, the mother was beaten to death while the daughter was raped. Breasts and a Butt were shown. Throughout the film there was at least 8 F bombs, two uses of C****. This movie is definitely not for kids or younger teens!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

As a crime drama or thriller this movie ultimately falls short, mostly because it doesn't connect messages about vengeance or justice with the main character or the story. Most of the violence in Death Wish (1974), and all of the considerable shock value that makes it unsuitable for kids and teens, is loaded into the first 20 minutes or so. What follows, after a too-long trip to Arizona, are too many scenes of Kersey shooting presumed criminals who have nothing to do with him or the crime committed against his family. Even his daughter's recovery takes a back seat to Kersey wandering the streets at night looking for thugs to kill.

Charles Bronson's breakout portrayal of the tough but quiet vigilante was a fan favorite, spawning no fewer than four sequels and a 2018 remake starring Bruce Willis. Teens may be curious about the original, so be prepared to talk with them, especially about the sexual violence, and also about their thoughts on how people can protect themselves, gun use, and taking the law into your own hands.

Movie Details

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