Death Wish 4: The Crackdown

 



Director - J. Lee Thompson (Widow, Firewalker)
Starring - Charles Bronson (House of Wax, Death Wish), Kay Lenz (Murder She Wrote, Lois and Clark), and John P. Ryan (Class of 1999, Three O'clock High)
Release Date - 1987
Genre - Action/Crime
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 



    Here we go again.  The last few days I've been working hard to knock out the Death Wish films.  More specifically the second, third, fourth, and fifth film in the series.  Death Wish was always a series of films I had heard about but never had the opportunity to check out.  That changed when Umbrella Entertainment sent over the Death Wish II and 3 double feature along with Death Wish 4 and 5 double feature.   I had owned the first film on DVD for sometime but never had a chance to check it out until now.  I enjoyed it but the sequel was more of the same.  Things changed with the third film.  I absolutely loved the third film.  In fact, I can easily say it is one of my favorite exploitation films now.  After watching the third film I was excited to toss in the next double feature!
     The film once again follows Paul Kersey (Bronson) who has now put the events of the first three films behind him.  He has a new love interest who has a teenage daughter with a blow problem.  One night she overdoses and dies.  Kersey suspects her boyfriend is responsible and follows him where he finds him confronting her drug dealer over her overdose.  The drug dealer kills her boyfriend before Kersey steps in to take him out.  Soon a rich and mysterious man hears about Kersey's work and uses him to stomp out the drug trade in the area after he tells Kersey how he lost his daughter to drugs.  Kersey wipes out the two biggest drug pushers in the city before the mysterious man's true intentions are revealed. 
     I had high hopes for this installment.  The third film in the series is fantastic.  It reminded me of the post-apocalyptic gang films like 1990: Bronx Warrior and so on.  Sadly, Death Wish 4 abandoned the look and story of the third film and returned to the original formula.  It's not a bad installment but it is repetitive.  The acting in this one is the same quality as the other films.  Bronson, once again, shows no emotions.  He is an emotionless killing machine and does not show any sort of remorse.  The supporting cast is solid as well.  In fact, I really enjoyed John P. Ryan's performance as the man who plays Kersey.  He did a fantastic job and made the film as fun as it is.  The story for this one is more of the same but rape was replaced with drugs.  In the first two films every Kersey loves is raped or murdered.  In this film the rape is replaced with drugs which triggers Kersey's killing spree.  It did mix it up some but in the end we are given the same film.  Finally, the kills in this one are more of the same established in the first three films.  The effects are minimal and work for the film but they are easily forgettable.  Overall, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown nothing new but it still hits the spot.  Check it out with a few beers and enjoy yourself.