 The film was a commercial success and resonated with the public in the United States, which was experiencing increasing crime rates during the 1970s.Paul Kersey is a successful, middle-aged architect and family man who enjoys a happy home in Manhattan with his wife Joanna.One day, Joanna and their grown daughter Carol are followed home from D'Agostino's by three thugs, who invade the apartment by posing as deliverymen.