Death Wish II

For the soundtrack album, see Death Wish II (album).
Death Wish II
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMichael Winner
Written byDavid Engelbach
Based onCharacters
by Brian Garfield
Produced byMenahem Golan
Yoram Globus
Starring
CinematographyThomas Del Ruth
Richard H. Kline
Edited byJulian Semilian
Michael Winner
(as Arnold Crust)[1]
Music byJimmy Page
Production
companies
American-European Productions[2]
Golan-Globus Productions[3]
Landers-Roberts Productions[3]
City Films[3]
Distributed byFilmways Pictures (NA)
Columbia Pictures (International)
Release dates
  • February 11, 1982 (1982-02-11) (UK)
  • February 19, 1982 (1982-02-19) (US)
Running time
88 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8 million[4]
Box office$29 million (North America)[5]

Death Wish II is a 1982 American vigilante action-thriller film directed and co-edited by Michael Winner. It is the first of four sequels to the 1974 film Death Wish. It is the second installment in the Death Wish film series. In the story, architect Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) moves to Los Angeles with his daughter (Robin Sherwood). After his daughter is murdered at the hands of several gang members, Kersey once again chooses to become a vigilante. Unlike the original, in which he hunts down every criminal he encounters, Kersey only pursues his family's attackers. The sequel makes a complete breakaway from the Brian Garfield novels Death Wish and Death Sentence, redefining the Paul Kersey character. It was succeeded by Death Wish 3.

The sequel was produced by Cannon Films, which had purchased the rights to the Death Wish concept from Dino De Laurentiis. Cannon executive Menahem Golan planned to direct the film, but Winner returned on Bronson's insistence. The soundtrack was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page. Death Wish II was released in the United States in February 1982 by Filmways Pictures. Like the original, Columbia Pictures handled the international release. Paramount Pictures, via Trifecta Entertainment & Media, handles the television rights. It earned $29 million during its domestic theatrical run.

  1. ^ "Death Wish II: Miscellaneous Notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Death Wish II". American Film Institute. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Death Wish II (1981)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Death Wish II at Box Office Mojo