Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis, Die Hard, Pulp Fiction) is a surgeon who sees only the aftermath of his city’s violence as it’s rushed into his ER … until his wife (Elisabeth Shue, Hollow Man, The Karate Kid) and college-age daughter (Camila Morrone, Daisy Jones & The Six) are viciously attacked in their suburban home. With the police overloaded with crimes, Paul, burning for revenge, hunts for his family’s assailants to deliver justice. As the anonymous slayings of criminals grab the media’s attention, the city wonders if this deadly avenger is a guardian angel … or a grim reaper.

For thoughts on Death Wish (2018), please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/3x0xakJG6zw?si=br-8ekMk75vIY5-4&t=5253]

Video Quality

Death Wish has been provided a new 4K UHD Blu-Ray in 2160p/Dolby Vision courtesy of Shout! Studios that improves upon the accompanying Blu-Ray derived from the same source. The film was last released on Blu-ray six years ago in 2018 through MGM following its theatrical release, but we do not have that disc to compare. When compared to the new included Blu-Ray, the difference is not going to knock you sideways, but the fresh 4K master is allowed to be the best version of itself on a proper 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc. This 4K UHD presentation delivers enhancements in clarity throughout the feature. The modern production design such as gadgets in the kitchen is fully on display along with the bloody, stomach-churning makeup effects that you want from an Eli Roth film. Textures are more defined in some of the outfits along with elements of the environment. Any nagging instances of compression artifacts and banding present on the Blu-Ray are not even a thought with this 4K UHD disc.

As is typical with the format, the utilization of Dolby Vision allows the picture to achieve the most impressive sense of accuracy to the palette. The natural color grading keeps the film looking appropriately vibrant when it needs to such as in the early soccer game. When the plot gets more scuzzy, the color palette follows suit. Many hues radiate off the screen such as certain automobile colors and outfits. The contrast is in top form with robust black levels that appear deep and inky with great detail. The latter half of the film takes place in shadows or at night, and these scenes are more vivid and finely delineated in this format. The highlights are firm and balanced with no instances of blooming that we noticed. The Blu-Ray serves the film well, but if you want the film to look its best, the 4K UHD release cannot be topped.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray release delivers a dynamite DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 lossless track that capably brings this story to life. Dialogue flows clearly in the center channel without getting overshadowed by the music or any sound effects. The activity in the low end hits hard when Paul is serving up justice in creative ways. The track wakes up all of the channels with sound effects and ambient noise in all environments that provide a quality of being transported.

The surround speakers deliver a chillingly immersive experience during key scenes. The score from recent Oscar-winner Ludwig Goransson establishes an intense atmosphere from the onset with unflappable fidelity. Kinetic sequences of Paul dipping into vigilante mode have a dynamic sound design that packs a punch. This disc seems every bit as accurate as anything when concerning nuance and clarity. Shout! Studios has offered a generous audio experience for this film. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided on this disc.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Eli Roth and Producer Roger Birnbaum provide an informative commentary track in which they discuss the production of the film, updating the source material, the aesthetic of the film, working with the performers, the special effects work, the location shooting, and more.

Deleted Scenes: A six-minute selection of unused footage is provided here with optional audio commentary from Roth and Birnbaum. There are some interesting moments, but you can understand why most of it was cut.

Vengeance and Vision – Directing Death Wish: A 12-minute featurette that takes a look at Eli Roth taking over this iconic franchise, what he brings to the creative vision, the themes of the story, the performances, and more.

Extended Scenes: A nearly seven-minute selection of unused footage is provided here that extends radio banter from the film.

Trailers: This disc provides the Alternate Trailer (2:07) and two Theatrical Trailers (4:39).

TV Spots: A minute-long selection of TV Spots is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Death Wish (2018) was realistically never going to surpass the original Charles Bronson version of the story. Nevertheless, if you can file that original film away and simply take in what we are provided by this new entry, you just might have some fun. The presence of Bruce Willis should help this film, but it ends up causing some unintended escalation in disbelief – Willis simply does not have the face of a doctor. The actor is not sleepwalking through the role, but he does not have the everyman qualities that Bronson brought to the role. Where this film soars is in the the direction of Eli Roth, who gleefully embraces the hyperviolent nature of this crusade. The kills are creative and will make you yell with glee when you see what he pulls off. This is easily the best aspect of the new film, and we support the creativity put into bringing these moments to life. Shout! Studios has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray featuring a grand A/V presentation along with some passable archival special features. If you can handle another take on a classic work like Death Wish, then give this one a chance, especially if you love violent dispatches of death. Recommended

Death Wish (2018) is currently available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Shout! Studios has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.