Cast Liam Neeson in the 'Death Wish' remake; Set it in Philadelphia

Once more into the fray
Into the last good fight I'll ever know
Live and die on this day
Live and die on this day

Set the remake in Philadelphia... instantly, you print money

The above poem is an integral plot point from one of those rare glimpses into what cinema could be, the type of entertainment Hollywood could provide  in every movie. Director Joe Carnahan's The Grey is a movie experience representing a momentary reprieve from... this world. It's spiritual in way that no church or religion could hope to provide now, speaking directly to the souls of those watching who know something is dreadfully wrong with modern society.

We live in a world with  not only a spiritual void, but one strangely devoid of purpose save the never-ending pursuit of lifting every Black voice so that it can sing (in essence, what Black-Run America is). Maybe this is why Liam Neeson, the star of The Grey, found the spirituality in Constantinople so overwhelming. Not to give away the plot of The Grey, but it tragically mirrors one aspect of Neeson's private life. When you have a tragedy befall you, it's only natural to question your faith. For many, this experience will only strengthen it.

So what's The Grey about?:

Devastated by the loss of his wife, Ottway [Neeson's character] has seemingly lost the will to live, until he and a half-dozen fellow workers survive a deadly plane crash in the wilderness. He and his stranded cohorts put up a fierce fight for survival against prowling wolves, dangerous cold and rugged terrain.

In some way, I believe that Neeson's involvement with The Grey was a catharsis. After the 2009 death of his wife, one can only guess to the spiritual journey the devout Roman Catholic took. But rest assured, to any SBPDL reader who goes to the movie theater and watches The Grey, know that the final scene was the finest representation of the philosophy behind this site.

Knowing this, you'll understand why we must now start a petition to have Liam Neeson cast in the remake of the Charles Bronson Death Wish film. Coincidentally, Carnahan will be directing.

And there is only one American city worthy of being the home to a 21st century remake of the gritty 1970s classic: Killadelphia Philadelphia.

Philadelphia, where Black violence is spiraling out of control, is the only city where Death Wish could logically be set in right now. It might sound outlandish, but a movie with this script could conceivably be made, knowing that Hollywood executives do care about turning a profit (just ask George Lucas what they thought of funding his Red Tails project).

Death Wish is ostensibly a right-wing story, but it's more than that; it's about challenging the state monopoly on violence when that same state sits back and does nothing to keep the law-abiding citizens safe. When that same state actively covers up for the actions of a criminal class, because covering the reality of crime would instantly undermine the very society that has been built (BRA) in the first place. 


Death Wish was a huge hit back in the 1970s, when white paranoia toward 'inner-city crime' was rising around the nation (it was made only a few years after the Black riots tore apart city after city nationwide). Guess what's happening now? That paranoia is well-founded:

IN A HORRIFIC assault in Center City on Saturday night, three teenagers who were spouting racial slurs pulled a man out of a cab to beat him. And when the cabdriver intervened to stop the assault, the teens turned their rage on him, police said yesterday.

About 8:25 p.m., a cab was stopped at a red light at 15th and Chestnut streets when two 17-year-old boys and a 15-year-old boy approached and started calling the male passenger in the back seat racially derogatory names, police said.

The boys then threw an unknown liquid at the cab before they opened the door, pulled the passenger out and started to pummel him, police said.

When the cabbie got out of the car to see what was going on, the passenger ran away and the teens turned on the cabbie. They punched him in the face, kicked him and threw a liquid on him, police said.

Despite being outnumbered, the cabbie grabbed a tire iron from his trunk, at which time the teens ran away. The driver flagged down a police officer, and the three boys were arrested. They were charged as juveniles with aggravated assault and related offenses.

The cabbie suffered an injury to his right eye and had abdominal and side pain, police said. The passenger remains unidentified.

Police said the three teens were black and the cabbie and passenger were white. Police did not immediately know whether the teens would or could face hate-crime charges.

According to police records, the cabbie worked for Liberty Taxi Co., but a dispatcher working there yesterday was surprised none of the drivers he'd spoken with were aware of the assault. Police declined to provide the name of the driver, so the dispatcher could not confirm whether he was an employee.

"This would be something that would be big news," the dispatcher said. "It would have been a highly charged moment that drivers would be talking about."

This type of thuggery (more to the point, Black-on-white violence) in Philadelphia - not to mention Black-on-Black violence - is all too common today. Freedom failed in The City of Brotherly Love. 

Cast Neeson as Paul Kersey. He's made a number of movies lately that Charles Bronson would have loved to starred in, and a Death Wish remake with Patrick Swazye's co-star from Next of Kin is what this world needs right now.

Regardless of what happens, The Grey is a cinematic masterpiece. The message of the movie is clear: never mind the odds, survive. Keep going. Live.

Fight. 

In nature, that's the only way to Exist.