Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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)."

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).

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!

Of the 150 motion picture and television appearances by Charles Bronson, none have gained more cult support than the five-installment 'Death Wish' series, a fact that inspired Paul Talbot to research the entire history of its productions. Written for Bronson and action film enthusiasts, 'Bronson's Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films' covers two decades of Paul Kersey lore, answering many of the questions that fans have asked for years.

Talbot, an independent filmmaker and film historian, gives the complete timeline of five movies inspired by Brian Garfield's 1972 vigilante novel that only had modest success in bookstores. Using publicity materials, contemporary news articles, and personal interviews with members of the 'Death Wish' staff, 'Bronson's Loose!' gives detailed and respectful accounts of how Garfield's concept became a long-lasting B-movie franchise, starting with its original 1974 production that enthralled audiences until the 1993 making of 'Death Wish 5: The Face of Death,' Charles Bronson's final motion picture credit.

This 161-page book offers an intriguing foreword by Andrew Stevens, who played roles in two motion pictures with Bronson, 'Death Hunt' (1981) and '10 to Midnight' (1983); his thoughts shed valuable light on the departed actor's mystique. Talbot's own history is well-written and easily approachable, focusing on interviews with director Michael Winner, late producer Bobby Roberts, actor Kevyn Major Howard, screenwriter Gail Morgan Hickman, and others. 'Bronson's Loose!' is also packed with supplements, including a 'Death Wish' filmography, soundtrack listing, and bibliography. Images of publicity materials and home video covers are included, which give further life to the saga (although in black and white).

The 'Death Wish' series has been made available on DVD, which should renew interest in Bronson's film legacy. Talbot's book, published by iUniverse, is an informative companion to the five movies besides recalling Bronson in a more human light and giving an offbeat portrait of Hollywood filmmaking. It is highly recommended for lovers of the action genre, especially Paul Kersey enthusiasts.

First thing's first - this is the mother of all 'niche' books. But if, like myself, you have a childish glee at Charles Bronson/80s Action B-movies-and specifically the Death Wish flicks then this is essential! Packed full of great insights into the saga, with some juicy behind the scenes gossip and a whole bunch of rare facts and trivia. This is a beautifully researched book, written with reverence for the subject while being realistic about the products. I hope that the author turns his hand to more niche movie groups as the style is accessable, fun but always informative and to the point. The Death Wish films hold a special place in the hearts of 80s VHS B-Movie fans and it's great to see them celebrated. As most of the participants are now sadly dead, there is never likely to be a documentary or special edition DVD set of these fun and funky flix, so this book is really is the behind the scenes be all and end all for fans of the series. Seriously, if this is a subject matter you have interest in you're gonna love this!

On the surface, "Bronson's Loose!" delivers all it promises: information on the making and background of every "Death Wish" movie, trivia, anecdotes, a look behind the scenes...

It seems that there are no problems with this volume whatsoever. And, in fact, there is only one.

The price.

This is not a book - it's a booklet. It's packed with the information it wants to deliver, but its total is far too small to justify selling it at the full price of a fully-sized volume. "Bronson's Loose!" is merely 116 pages long - and much of that space is filled with illustrations. Yes, technically, it consists of ~160 pages or so, but about 30 are filled with cast listing and synopses of the five films, and track listings of the movies scores. The listing of the 14 tracks forming the score for "Death Wish IV" alone takes up almost an entire page. The rest is bibliography and an index (which, considering how tiny the volume is, could actually list more entries than it does.)

Speaking of illustrations: for a volume so small, with its price, I would expect it to have a photo insert on chalk paper; of course, there is none. The photos are black and white, sometimes of xerographic quality, and they mostly seem to be online grabs, occasionally with visible artifacts.

This is an excellent booklet for, say, 10 USD. Go for it if you can find it for that much. But for a book, priced at the equivalent of 16 USD or more (and it certainly *is* more in Europe), plus, presumably, shipping - you might want to pause a moment before the purchase.

On a final note, don't expect a word on any of the numerous Death Wish clones, as there is but one sentence on their subject. Further, if you're interested in the "Death Wish" and "Death Sentence" novels, be aware that they are little more than footnotes, too - even though the story of the conflict between their author and the movie makers would certainly make an interesting addition; if nothing else, then the famed spicy exchange of jabs between Brian Garfield and Michael Winner alone would make for a terrific anecdote...