I've watched 5 films from director Michael Winner and actor Charles Bronson
(1972) Chato's Land
Charles Bronson in a Western, count me in. This film is packed with excellent actors, great locations, and great performances. The only issue I really had with the film was it's length. This film sort of goes into the wicked relentless white man after the (insert minority here) category that was quite popular after the civil rights movement. This movie does make you care, but it also goes for the cheap drama. Michael Winner doesn't like for Charles Bronson to have a nice quiet family life in any film they make together. If Charles Bronson has a family member in a Michael Winner movie, they are going to get raped, killed, or a combination of both. I enjoyed watching this, solely for my love of Charles Bronson. I would recommend it to fans of the revisionist Western film. It has touches of Peckinpah.
(1972) The Mechanic
I enjoyed this quite a bit. This is the only film from the pair that didn't feature a rape sequence. It reminded me a lot of Leon The Professional. There was a lot of tension in this film. It's probably the most subdued of the Winner/Bronson collaborations. All around enjoyable film, much like the very similar Death Wish. I never watched the remake, so I cannot comment on the similarities therein. I will say, good luck getting me to watch a Jason Statham movie.
(1974) Death Wish
This film is much like so many other franchise starters, in the fact that it was a good movie, followed by not-so-good movies. This was a great film and it had an excellent look to it. Bronson isn't a bad ass in this film, and it's nice to see. Little moments like him having a breakdown after his first kill, really brought out the human side of the character. The transition from pacifist architect to vigilante is excellent.
(1982) Death Wish II
This film isn't as cartoony as the later entries, but this started the "same shit, different city" formula of the later films. This movie boasts not 1, not 2, but THREE rape scenes. It also has 1980's written all over it. Guitar and Synth heavy soundtrack brought to you buy Jimmy Page himself. It also has more guns, shit blowing up, and people dying. It still has some heart in places, you still feel that Kersey is just a man who has taken too much for too long. I would recommend it only if you want more Death Wish.
(1985) Death Wish 3
This film already pissed me off for not conforming to the roman-numeral titling system of the previous entry. This one feels more like an HBO film. Just schlock, vulgarity, and not one damn given. Bigger guns and goofier gang members. It also was too lazy to actually film in New York, instead a small English town is supposed to pass for NYC. I actually had to watch this little by little, as I just didn't care. It feels like The Three Stooges, Home Alone, and Die Hard were thrown in a big pot. I don't know whether it wants to be taken seriously or if Michael Winner placed his tongue directly in his cheek. The gang is also very unbelievable. A gang leader should have an air of "Don't mess with this guy" about him. Instead, he looks out of place.
People could argue that he might be manipulative like Charlie Manson, but you don't really see any of that. The gangs in the previous films all sort of seemed to just do what they wanted to do, and didn't have a set leader. You also don't relate to Bronson's character in this film. He goes from being a guy, any of us could be, to being an unflinching badass. He walks from scene to scene without any tension what so ever, as people around him are spitting blood and blowing up. Characters are killed left and right without any attention brought to them. Jimmy Page is just rocking out, instead of putting in a little "Somebody important died" music. It's just a careless mess, and it feels more like a shitty war movie than the midnight vigilante film from the previous entries. I wouldn't recommend this to anybody. It also has a trope that I've noticed in a lot of older films in having to have marching music in the background when military weapons are revealed. Why did they get Jimmy Page?
So in reviewing these films I've learned one thing; it ain't a Michael Winner film, if somebody didn't get raped.
I still maintain that Charles Bronson, though concreted in popular culture as a bad ass, was a fine actor. He reminds me of actors like Warren Oates who were so natural, you didn't realize how great they actually were.