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Bill Murray dresses as a clown to sardonically rob a bank. He unloads an entire clip of funny one-liners in the first few minutes. I got my hopes up.

Unfortunately, the writers couldn't maintain that level of humor. Worse, whatever the merits of the script, the directors (of which Bill Murray was one) lacked the discipline to keep this thing tight. Did it start out as a Murray vanity project, only to get handed to the head writer to bring it home because the daily rushes were a mess? Maybe they should have called Harold Ramis. That cat knew how to helm a comedy.

Randy Quaid is the worst of the hambones here. Pretty much from his opening line of dialogue he's irritating. But super-solid actors Phil Hartman, Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci are also over the top.

The only actor in the entire film who survives with his dignity is Jason Robards. By playing it straight, he ends up being the funniest character in the film. He obviously understood what made Leslie Nielsen so funny in the Airplane and N3ked G3n franchises.

I felt so grinded down by the try-hard of it all that I was relieved when it was over.

The 70s were a terrible time for NYC. Hoodlums ran rampant over honest citizens. Sadly, the mayor and the cops worried more about vigilantism than the hoodlums, and made empty speeches for the press, which then ran sensationalist headlines.

So here I am watching Death Wish for the first time in my life in 2025. It feels fresh and relevant. Ripped from the headlines, even. It even includes a scene at a c4cktail party full of liberal dooshb3hgs whining that the vigilante is racist.

The major theme is that Americans have lost the nerve to stand up for themselves. They expect impotent cops to come to their rescue. Then they whine in disappointment when it doesn't happen.

Bronson's Paul Kersey character is a Korean War vet - a conscientious objector - but he grew up a sure-shot thanks to life on a farm. Once he gets a taste of fighting back there's no stopping him. In fact, it gives him new life.

Although this is nominally a revenge flick. That seriously undersells this movie's accomplishments. It looks like it was produced on a shoestring budget. But the acting is top notch. The story moves along and makes its points without belaboring it until we feel pandered to.

And yes, it's exhilirating when Charles Bronson's character starts getting revenge on the criminals. There's no denying that. But overall it's grim, gritty and truthful.

These spaghetti Greek mytholgy movies are barely watrchable at the best of times.

Some people want to claim this isn't a straight-up entry into the genre but is actually a spoof.

I dunno. Maybe.

Either way, it's ridiculous.

Blond hero actually has b00bs, not pecs. Women are pretty hot.

Plot is ridiculous.

Back when dusk-to-dawn drive-ins were popular, I could see this one being fourth on the bill, maybe even fifth. And the only people who stayed to watch were the young couples who were too busy making out to pay attention to what was up on the screen. I can't see anyone, anywhere, taking this seriously. And it's definitely not funny.