RIP: BRIAN GARFIELD, AUTHOR OF DEATH WISH, DIES AT 79.

In his Death Wish novel, a New York accountant named Paul Benjamin is sent reeling when muggers kill his wife and leave his daughter fighting for her life. That spurs him to take justice into his own hands.

The rugged Bronson then played Paul Kersey, now an architect, in five Death Wish films that were released in 1974, 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1994.

“I hated the four sequels,” Garfield said in a 2008 interview. “They were nothing more than vanity showcases for the very limited talents of Charles Bronson. The screenplay for the original Death Wish movie was quite good, I thought. It was written by Wendell Mayes — look him up; he was a great guy and a splendid screenwriter; but his Death Wish script was designed to be directed by Sidney Lumet, with Jack Lemmon to star as Paul.

“The last-minute changes in director [Michael Winner] and star were imposed by a new producer to whom the project was sold, rather under protest, by the original producers Hal Landers and Bobby Roberts. The point of the novel Death Wish is that vigilantism is an attractive fantasy, but it only makes things worse in reality. By the end of the novel, the character is gunning down unarmed teenagers because he doesn’t like their looks. The story is about an ordinary guy who descends into madness.”

Winner’s first Death Wish movie sums up New York in the 1970s remarkably well, and its cool Herbie Hancock score adds incredible atmosphere. The role of Paul Kersey defined Bronson and finally made him, after decades of acting, into a superstar. But it would have been a much more surprising film watching Lemmon’s transformation from milquetoast bleeding heart liberal architect to vigilante.