Vince Russo's The Brand

Word coming out of Hollywood is that the remake/reboot of the Charles Bronson vigilante classic, Death Wish, is back on the fast track again with a new director and leading man. And while I’m on the fence about remaking classics – generally leaning towards “leave them the f*** alone” – there are instances where modernizing and re-imagining could benefit and give new life for a new generation to appreciate and pass down. Needless to say, there are far fewer success stories than there are hits, or at the very least, a complimentary effort that warrants any film lovers respect.

In this case, I’m on-board. In fact, I think it’s long overdue and I’m surprised Hollywood hasn’t made an attempt in the last 20 years. Sure, there were rumblings, but no one ever pulled the trigger – metaphorically speaking.

Death Wish is a simple story that doesn’t need to be re-imagined, but modernized to reflect today’s society. There are plenty of vigilante-type movies with the same basic premise of the everyday man forced to take justice into his own hands. Some decent. Most God-awful. ALL too predictable. Yet none of theme branded by the official “Death Wish” stamp. Instead, much like most action films throughout the 90’s – which were identified as Die Hard franchise replicas (i.e. Die Hard on a plane; Die Hard at the zoo; Die Hard on a podcast – whoops! Wrong Die Hard), Hollywood opted to re-label Death Wish-esque films with other names and eventually branched out into stories of hitmen, hired guns and ex-CIA operatives.

The magic behind Death Wish is that IT WAS an “everyday” man. Not a physically imposing figure. Not an individual who had professional fight, weapons or military training. This is what separated the Death Wish formulas from films like Taken, The Equalizer or any Jason Statham flick. And while the reboot had been discussed for years, the one that got me most excited was the pitch pairing director Joe Carnahan (Smokin Aces, The Grey) – one of Hollywood’s most underappreciated directors – and an elderly-aged Sylvester Stallone. But even that would not have worked – primarily because the casting was wrong.

When the film was officially green-lit, it was announced that young up and coming directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado (Big Bad Wolves) had been tapped to adapt the remake…with Bruce Willis in the leading role. The duo quickly stepped away from the directors chairs, indicating “creative differences”. The studio didn’t agree with their “vision” – which would have been closer to the original source material and complimentary to the original classic starring Bronson. I’m sure there was plenty of struggle on the pages of the script, as the young directors understood the magic that made Death Wish connect with audiences in 1974. Their vision was more in-line with films like Taxi Driver and Falling Down. But I’m also sure that they strongly disagreed with the studio’s casting of Bruce Willis.

Now, popular horror director Eli Roth has taken over the chair, but Willis is still cast in the lead role. Like Quentin Tarantino, Eli Roth absolutely LOVES cinema, he respects film and is inspired by the classics, and he is a true student with deep rooted passion. While I have all the confidence in the world for Roth and am excited to him take a break from the gore to explore the action genre, I’m convinced that even he knows Bruce Willis is the WRONG casting choice for this movie.

Why is Bruce Willis a bad casting choice for the Death Wish remake? Because he’s Bruce F***ing Willis. When you look at him, you already know what to expect from him – he’s gonna shoot everybody and smoke some cigarettes!

Not to mention, he’s lost his name value because he doesn’t act anymore. His performances have been phoned-in, reduced to angry snarls, and delivered directly to Redbox. Willis not only lacks the ability to convey a range of emotions, but he’s been type-casted for decades as the same character over and over again. Death Wish would be no different – thus losing the focus and emotional connection with the viewers.

So, who would be a better casting choice? Almost anyone else. But a good director and a smart studio would dig deeper into the material and understand that the actor who portrays Paul Kersey on the screen needs to have vulnerability.The only film that ever came close to understanding the Death Wish formula was the 2007 film Death Sentence starring Kevin Bacon. The pitch is easy: Good man does bad things for good reason. Kevin Bacon fit the role perfectly. A man of average size and build. An actor who did not have a body of work with an excessive body count. And most importantly, you believed him as a humble and loving father who was pushed to the edge and forced to find his inner demon at the tragic loss of his child. THAT is how you do it!

You don’t go out and cast someone who has a badass and ass-kicking body of work like Hugh Jackman or Mark Wahlberg. You don’t cast a grizzled vet who wears life experience on his face and you’re just waiting for him to snap, like Russell Crowe or Mel Gibson. You don’t cast a man with a built-in chip on his shoulder like Josh Brolin or Benicio Del Toro. This casting ONLY works when you go against the grain. Think of your reaction when you heard Michael Keaton was cast as Batman or Heath Ledger as The Joker. When it’s announced, you have to think to yourself – “what an odd choice…why him?”.

If you want to play the “old and elder man” card – I’d suggest names like Anthony Hopkins or Harrison Ford. If you’re looking to cast younger and with a little more star power, I’d push for Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix or Sam Rockwell. If you want a man who you’d never expect to find his rage and killer instinct, I’d suggest Colin Firth. But if you wanted a “game changer” that embodied those qualities and that would shock the world because you never imagined they’d ever see a particular actor lose his soul on screen embracing vengeance and violence, then may I suggest taking a page out of pro wrestling and turning a sweetheart into a monster heel. Why not cast someone who once stole your hearts after filling it with warmth and joy? Why not cast someone like Jim Carrey or Steve Carrell?

Personally, my first choice would have been Mark Ruffalo. But due to his commitments to the Marvel franchise and his marketing value to children as a superhero, I can understand why he’d be the odd man out. After all, for all its creative intents and purposes, Hollywood is still a business. So, in an effort of doing what is best for business…may I suggest – FIRE BRUCE WILLIS!!!!

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