The '' Chicago Sun-Times '' s Richard Roeper gave the film 2 out of 4 stars , writing , " Even with the social commentary , '' Death Wish '' is n't trying to be some intense , gritty , ripped-from-the-headlines docudrama ... A number of gruesome scenes are staged like something out of one of those '' Final Destination '' movies , with a bowling ball , a dart , a wrench and other conveniently handy items used as weapons of singular destruction . It 's essentially revenge porn . " Michael Phillips of the '' Chicago Tribune '' gave the film 1 out of 4 stars and said , " For a while , director Roth plays this stuff relatively straight , and Willis periodically reminds us he can act ( the grieving Kersey cries a fair bit here ) . The script contains a reference to AR-15 rifles ; by the end , Willis goes full Willis when his adversaries return to the sanctity of the family home . " Many critics noted the timing of the film 's release , coming less than three weeks after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland , Florida alongside the positive portrayal of American gun culture . Jeannette Catsoulis of '' The New York Times '' called the film " imbecilic " , and criticized its jokey tone and " morally unconflicted " approach to its subject matter . Similarly , '' The Guardian '' s Amy Nicholson criticized the film for " flatlining the politics and saturating the pathos " , and for insulting both sides of the gun control argument . '' The Hollywood Reporter '' s John DeFore noted that the film does not attempt to " use genre metaphors to address real national debates " , making the original film " look philosophical by comparison " , and he also noted the improbable and contrived nature of Kersey 's mission . Writing for the '' Los Angeles Times '' , Justin Chang called the film " a slick , straightforward revenge thriller as well as a sham provocation , pandering shamelessly to the viewer 's bloodlust while trying to pass as self-aware satire " . Chang compared the film unfavorably to the 2007 '' Death Sentence '' , citing the lack of consequences that Kersey faces
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Death Wish (2018 film)