Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films [Paperback]

Paul Talbot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 2006

In the summer of 1974 the movie Death Wish stunned audiences with its powerful story of an enraged businessman who hits the streets with a handgun to avenge the brutal violation of his wife and daughter. The film packed theaters with cheering moviegoers, became one of the highest-grossing and most controversial movies of the year, and turned star Charles Bronson into the hottest screen icon in the world.

Over the next twenty years, four increasingly-violent sequels delivered thrills to a growing legion of fans and solidified the legend of Charles Bronson.

Now, for the first time, Death Wish fanatics, Bronson cultists, and action movie lovers will discover fascinating information about the series. In exclusive comments, director Michael Winner, actor Kevyn Major Howard, novelist Brian Garfield, and many others reveal what it was like to work on the Death Wish movies with one of the most charismatic and elusive stars of all time.

Covering every aspect of all five movies (including unused casting suggestions, deleted scenes and alternate cuts) and loaded with rare advertising artwork, Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the “Death Wish” Films tells the compelling, untold story behind the most explosive action series in film history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Talbot is a film historian and independent filmmaker. He has written for Video Watchdog, Psychotronic Video and Filmfax. His movies include Hellblock 13.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (February 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595379826
• ISBN-13: 978-0595379828
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #928,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TREAT FOR BRONSON FANS, December 18, 2006

By 

Stephen J. Pytak (Port Carbon, Pa. United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films (Paperback)

A definite treat for the people who paid to watch
Charles Bronson shoot creeps.
Talbot's 161-page book gives us the best, and maybe
the only, history of the making of these cult films we're
likely to get.
It was put together using information from 10
interviews the author conducted between 2004 and 2005.
Among those interviewed were Michael Winner, director of
the first three entries, Brian Garfield, author of the original
novel, and Kevyn Major Howard, the guy who played
"Stomper," a punk with the cross hanging around his neck
in"Death Wish II."
I came across a mention of it on a "Death Wish" fan
site on the Internet, then ordered it from Amazon.com. Glad
I did. This thing took me back in time.
I flashed back to the first time I saw the original. It was
on an RCA SelectaVision CED Video Disc in 1981. A
picture of the back of that disc is on page 29.
The time I saw "Death Wish II" in the movies, I'll never
forget. Something happened in that film, a strange
marriage of sorts. The image of Charles Bronson's
Paul Kersey dressed down Goodwill style, dinky and all,
stalking the streets to a hellish Jimmy Page grind. Movie
magic. Made hairs stand up on the back of your neck.
I've always wondered about the behind the scenes
stories, how Bronson felt about these films, how directors
and actors felt working with Bronson, how the actors
managed to shoot those crazy rape scenes, etc.
This book answered a lot of my questions. I sat down
with it every night for a week, glued to it.
Authors who write books about movies sometimes
provide reviews, or strongly suggest which films they
prefered over others. It seems Talbot's a big fan of the
original "Death Wish." The second best directed, he
said, was number four, "The Crackdown."
Personally, I was always a big fan of parts 2 and 3.
But Talbot tries to do justice to every entry, and for
that I salute him. This book made me nastalgic, made me
remember how much I liked watching Paul Kersey dish
out his brand of justice.
"You believe in Jesus...Well you're gonna meet 'em."
BLAM! BLAM!
By the way, there's an intro by Andrew Stevens, an
actor who worked with Bronson in "Death Hunt (1981)"
and "10 to Midnight (1983)." I remember Stevens from
his performance as the antagonist from "The Seduction
(1982)."

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Don't Have to be a Death Wish Fan to Love This Book, September 2, 2009

By 

Lee Goldberg (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films (Paperback)

You don't have to be a DEATH WISH fan -- and I'm not -- to enjoy this highly entertaining and informative book about the making of the cult classic Charles Bronson vigilante film and its lesser (and inevitable) sequels. Author Paul Talbot has done a remarkable job, interviewing all the major players behind the development and production of the DEATH WISH movies (including Brian Garfield, the author of the original novel), and delivering a tight little book that is packed solid with fascinating details and wonderful anecdotes. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in screenwriting and movie-making. It's a lot of fun to read.

(As an aside, it's surprising to me that this book was self-published by Talbot -- through iUniverse -- rather than coming from an established NY publisher. The book deserves a wide release in brick-and-mortar stores and but it's unlikely to happen with an iUniverse title, and that's a shame).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bronson's Back!, March 27, 2007

By 

Paul Manfredi (Pittsburgh, PA USA!) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films (Paperback)

This is a great book! There aren't many pages in this book, but it is full of very interesting information about Charles Bronson and the Death Wish films. It's also very easy to read. I'm a big fan of Charles Bronson, but I didn't know a lot about his personal life until I read this book. After reading this book, I have even more respect for Bronson and it was fun learning all the behind the scenes facts about the films. The first film was the best, but any movie Charles Bronson is in is much better than today's so called "big stars". Bronson was a real movie star. I highly recommend this fun and easy to read book!