It feels anything but real

★

The controversial vigilante film Death Wish ( 1974) was set in New York City. Charles Bronson starred as the mild- mannered architect Paul Kersey, who becomes a revenge- thirsty gunman after thugs break into his home, murder his wife and savagely attack their daughter.

Now comes Death Wish 2018, set in Chicago and starring Bruce Willis as the mild- mannered surgeon Paul Kersey, who becomes a revenge- thirsty gunman after thugs break into his home, murder his wife and savagely attack their daughter.

With acknowledgment that movies often take geographical and historical and cultural liberties, there are quite a few differences between

Death Wish Chicago and Chicago- Chicago.

Although director

Eli Roth does an admirable job of peppering in authentic Chicago- shot scenes, much of Death Wish was filmed in Montreal, the “Chicago of Quebec”. Said nobody, ever.

Very early in the film, a Chicago police unit is racing through the Loop. We hear a radio call saying the car is on “Wacker Avenue”. Drive. Wacker Drive.

When a violent crime is committed in a home in Evanston, two Chicago homicide detectives are assigned to the case.

I did enjoy radio veteran Mancow’s performance as Mancow. Seriously. His energy pops right off the screen. He sounds just like Mancow would sound if there were a mysterious, hooded figure dubbed “The Grim Reaper” exacting “justice” on the streets of Chicago.

And former Chicago anchors Bob Sirott and Robin Robinson play current Chicago news anchors. Hey, that’s not a bad idea!

Director Roth does a nice job of introducing us to the Kerseys: Dr Paul; his wonderful and lovely wife, Lucy ( Elisabeth Shue); and their bright, sweet, 17year- old daughter, Jordan ( Camila Morrone).

We like them. We don’t want anything bad to happen to them. But their idyllic world is shattered when a home invasion goes sideways, leaving Lucy dead and Jordan in a coma.

Dean Norris is Detective Raines and Kimberly Elise is his partner, Detective Jackson. The good detectives are doing their best to find the perps, but they have an overwhelming caseload, and there’s not much evidence in this particular tragedy.

An increasingly frustrated and angry Paul takes matters into his own hands. His ultimate goal is to find and punish the thugs who attacked his family, but in the meantime, any criminal will do.

So he teaches himself to handle and shoot a gun, with the help of some YouTube videos.

In rapid succession, Paul blows away a couple of carjackers and then a drug dealer — and thanks to viral videos, memes, TV news reports and heated talk radio debate, “The Grim Reaper,” as he’s been tabbed, becomes a hot topic. Is he hero or villain?

It’s remarkable how quickly Paul the life- saving surgeon takes to his secret life as Paul the life- taking vigilante. Within weeks, Paul is clearly enjoying himself as he systematically and sadistically tortures a bad guy before snuffing him out.

A number of gruesome scenes are staged like something out of one of those Final Destination movies, with a bowling ball, a dart, a wrench and other conveniently handy items used as weapons of singular destruction. It’s essentially revenge porn. Again and again, Death Wish feels anything but real. — RR