My Favorite Charles Bronson Movie Just Turned 40, And It's Streaming For Free

Whenever Charles Bronson comes up in conversation, my mind immediately goes to one of the action movie hall of famer’s most iconic films. No, it’s not one of his great Western epics like The Magnificent Seven or Once Upon a Time in the West, nor is it something like The Great Escape. Instead, it’s his Death Wish franchise, specifically the over-the-top 1985 spectacle that is Death Wish 3.

The movie, which just turned 40, has been one of my guilty pleasures since first watching it with some friends as part of an AMC marathon one day after school during my junior year. It’s campy, funny, and completely different than the more serious installments that preceded it, and straight up absurd at times. That said, I’ll always have a soft spot for Paul Kersey’s crusade to wipe out a NYC street gang a decade after being banned from the city.

Okay, So What Is Death Wish 3 About?

Set a few years after the events of Death Wish 2 (a movie you should also watch), the movie follows architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey as he makes his return to New York City and is immediately accused of murdering an old Korean War buddy. Eventually released, Paul is given a deal: kill as many street punks as he can and keep the police informed of any major dealings so they can take the credit.

Over the course of the movie, “Mr. Vigilante” goes to war with a vicious street gang led by Manny Fraker (Gavan O’Herlihy) in an attempt ot wipe the scum from the street and make life easier for law-abiding citizens. Machine guns, a rocket launcher, and other wildly effective weapons are used throughout Paul Kersey’s path of vengeance.

It’s Not The Best Charles Bronson Movie, But It’s So Much Fun

Death Wish 3 isn’t the best Charles Bronson movie. Hell, it’s not even the best Death Wish movie. That said, it’s an over-the-top and wildly entertaining action flick that just gets crazier as the story progresses. I mean, where else are you going to see a 64-year-old Charles Bronson walk down a New York City street firing a machine gun while some guy follows behind with a cardboard box full of bullets?

Whenever I watch Death Wish 3, I do so to be entertained. Once Upon a Time in the West is a crowning achievement of cinema with some of the best written characters, enchanting visuals, but I’d honestly rather watch Paul Kersey walk up and down the streets taking out the trash with his signature Wildey Survivor pistol.

There Are Multiple Scenes I Think About All The Time

From Paul Kersey momentarily leaving a dinner to quickly take care of two street punks who made the mistake of bringing a knife to a gunfight to the aforementioned scene where he walks down the street with a machine gun to the way he takes care of a gangster in a bulletproof vest, there’s so much to love in Death Wish 3.

It’s been 20 years since I first fell in love with this utterly ridiculous action movie, and those scenes, and several others, still live in my brain rent-free.

Stream Death Wish 3 on Tubi.

Before wrapping things up, I just have to point out that only a few movies glorify violence to the level on display in Death Wish 3. The pure joy that overcomes residents whenever a gang member is killed by Paul Kersey is straight up wild!