Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

Everyone's favorite architect turned vigilante, Paul Kersey, returns in the fourth installment of the Death Wish series and this time he's taking aim at two powerful drug lords that are indirectly responsible for the death of a loved one. The new writer and director attempt to keep the series fresh, but do they succeed? Find out in our feature attraction...

In the original Death Wish, Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) became disillusioned at the legal system when a band of rapists that attacked and killed his wife without repercussion, so he took matters into his own hands and became a vigilante set to avenge his wife. In Death Wish 2, Kersey is forced to release his fury on another group of rapists that happened to target his daughter.

When Death Wish 3 came around, the dark drama of the original two films was substituted for fast-paced, violent action as Kersey aimed his sights at a huge gang that controlled an entire New York neighborhood. And yes, some of the gang members were also into raping innocents.

As the introductory credits for Death Wish 4: The Crackdown finish rolling, we are introduced to a woman sharing an isolated parking garage with just three other masked men. The problem is the men are dregs of society that wish to… you guessed it… rape her. But finally the Death Wish tradition is broken, for Kersey appears out of nowhere and guns down each of the miscreants BEFORE they succeed in accomplishing their vile intentions.

Where did Kersey come from? Who knows – I guess he was just taking a leisurely stroll through an empty parking garage. Doesn't everybody? Besides, if he wasn't there we wouldn't be able to watch Bronson coolly answer the question, "Who the f**k are you?" with the cheesy response "Death" before calmly blowing the scum away. To heck with realism or logic… who needs either when we can watch Bronson take out the trash once again in his inimitable style?

Death Wish 4 finds Paul Kersey in a deep and loving relationship with a beautiful reporter, Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz). When Karen's daughter (Dana Barron) dies from a drug overdose, Kersey decides enough children have died from the inanimate killer and undertakes a personal war against the two major drug organizations that run the L.A. scene.

Although there is a twist or two in the story, ultimately this movie is a guilty pleasure designed to entertain us as we watch Kersey pit the two drug organizations against each other. While they aim their sights at each other, Kersey exacts a bit of bloody revenge himself.

Don't expect too much from the script or acting, because although Charles Bronson carries the same screen presence as he always does, the rest is not noteworthy. I'd say the acting isn't nearly as campy as it was in Death Wish 3 (thank goodness!), but when you watch a Bronson action flick you're not looking for Oscar-worthy performances… you're looking for fun. And you'll get plenty of that with this fourth installment.

Death Wish 3 and 4 were significant departures from the morbid blanket that covered the first two films, but in the end that's a good thing. The depressing "rape/murder" plotline would have grown long in the tooth had it continued, so injecting mindless action into the series was needed to keep it going.

If you enjoy Bronson or vigilante films, give this one a shot. Death Wish 4 isn't a work of art, but it's solid enough entertainment.

Movie rating: 7 stars

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Charles Bronson
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