Death Wish II

"He's Planning to Clean Up the City. HIS way!"

1982 1h 32m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 557

ActionCrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

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Paul Kersey is again a vigilante trying to find five punks who murdered his housekeeper and daughter in Los Angeles.

“He's Planning to Clean Up the City. HIS way!”

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Cast

Charles Bronson
Paul Kersey
Jill Ireland
Geri Nichols
Vincent Gardenia
Det. Frank Ochoa
J.D. Cannon
New York D.A.
Anthony Franciosa
Herman Baldwin
Ben Frank
Inspector Lt. Mankiewicz
Robin Sherwood
Carol Kersey
Silvana Gallardo
Rosario

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Winner
Writers: David Engelbach, Michael Winner
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Death Wish Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Winner, shot by Thomas Del Ruth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jimmy Page. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Julian Semilian shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland and Vincent Gardenia carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's Planning to Clean Up the City. HIS way!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Winner directs. Thomas Del Ruth behind the camera. Jimmy Page scores. Julian Semilian cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 5.6× over at the box office.
244 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Death Wish Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Michael Winner, shot by Thomas Del Ruth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jimmy Page. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Julian Semilian shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland and Vincent Gardenia carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "He's Planning to Clean Up the City. HIS way!".
9IMDB entry: tt0082250 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "rape", "police", "gangster", "drug trafficking".

The technical file

Cinematography: Thomas Del Ruth
Original score: Jimmy Page
Editing: Julian Semilian
Production design: William Hiney
Makeup / hair: Phil Rhodes
Sound: Hugh Strain
Stunt coordinator: Chuck Couch
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $8,000,000
Box office: $45,000,000
Return: 563% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Death Wish II (1982)

Part of

Death Wish Collection

Five films about Paul Kersey, an architect with no luck whatsoever. First His wife is murdered when their apartment is broken into, 8 years later his mentally ill daughter is raped and murdered. After all this Kersey is never the same and ends up taking on the drug lords and various criminals of the world.

Also by

Michael Winner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-05-16
★ 6.5/10
Kersey Chaos. Michael Winner once again pushes the buttons of Hollywood with this sequel to his controversial hit, Death Wish. Plot follows a familiar trajectory, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) is now in Los Angeles living a normal life, when wouldn't you know it, some scumbag youths cross his path after administering some rape and pillage on folk close to him... The problem here, and the reason why some critics positively burst blood vessels after watching it, is that for the first half it just is pure exploitation, this in spite of some decent production value. Did it really need to be another sex crime? Could it not have been a murder et al? There gets a point in the film where you sense it's boobs for boobs sake. Though you have to wonder if Winner dared to ask Chuck and Jill Ireland (playing girlfriend of Chuck...) if Jill would do a nude scene? I think a broken nose may have come about if that subject had of been broached... Once Kersey (Bronson hard as nails again) goes about dealing out his brand of justice, the film hits its straps, teasing the viewers with moral - cum - ethical outrage or conversely, vicarious thinking. Vigilante films are always going to swim in tricky waters, provoking anger and heated debate from all walks of the political spectrum, but better to have them out there to provoke a response than not. Surely? There is nothing remotely high end here, but it's a film worthy of its above average rating on IMDb. It can shock, annoy, dismay and even induce unintentional mirth (three of the rapist thugs dance the campiest dance ever), but it will not be ignored and people are still seeking it out today to watch for the first time. Michael Winner still showing the ability to pique interest with his vigilante franchise. 6.5/10
JPV8522022-05-06
★ 6/10
Not great and really uncomfortable to watch (as was the first film, but this one takes it up a level in the assault) but seeing Charles Bronson exacting revenge was good and he's in his element as Kersey. Not as good as the first but still "entertaining" (for the lack of a better word), if not a bit hokey at times late with Kersey getting lucky for the number of people covering for him. 3.0/5
daniel_carr2025-12-14
★ 2/10
I've watched a lot of violent movies in my time, my genre is "sci-fi & fantasy" so Alien, Terminator and Predator I can handle violence. But somethings are just beyond disturbing and seeing someone raped was too much for me. After watching "The Matrix" I wanted to see Laurence Fishburne in his earlier movies so it was fun to see a younger him acting, like "where's Waldo".