Death Wish V: The Face of Death

 



Director - Allan A. Goldstein (2001: A Space Travesty, Memory Run)
Starring - Charles Bronson (Apache, Machine Gun Kelly), Lesley-Anne Down (From Beyond the Grave, Munchie Strikes Back), and Michael Parks (From Dusk till Dawn, Red State)
Release Date - 1994
Genre - Action/Crime
Tagline - "No judge.  No jury.  No appeals.  No deals"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 



     The time has finally come.  For the last week or so I've been reviewing the entire Death Wish series and now I finish the series with the fifth film.  By this point I am very burnt out with Bronson and the whole vigilante angle.  The films are very entertaining but you can only watch the same story so many times before getting sick.  The fourth installment had its moments but was still the same recycled story so I was worried part 5 would be more of the same.  Lucky for me it was but it was still more entertaining than the fourth film.
     The film follows Kersey once more who is now living New York City again and dating a fashion designer who was once married to a crime lord.  She has since left him and took their teenage daughter where she created her own fashion line but he has found a way to infiltrate her business where he uses it to launder cash.  After an incident at their factory Kersey steps in and gets the police involved.  What Kersey doesn't know is that her ex has people on the force in his back pocket and when he discovers they went to the police he has her beaten.  The sparks Kersey to go back to his vigilante way to stop him.
     Death Wish 5: The Face of Death may not have changed the formula much from the other films but it dials up the cast with some amazing performances and a few fun scenes.  The acting in this one is leagues better than the previous installments.  Bronson delivers the same lowbrow performance with no emotional range but Michael Parks fucking sizzles.  I've never seen him deliver a bad performance and this film is no exception.  He steals every scene he is in and makes the movie his own.  Honestly, I think the film would have been perfect if it was told from his perspective.  The story for this one is more of what we got in the other films, especially the fourth.  Rape is removed from the story and drugs is added.  Kersey is once again wronged and someone he loves suffers from loving him.  Nothing new there.  Finally, the film has several kills that are exactly the same as the other film.  They are easily forgettable with minimal effects.  Overall, Death Wish V: The Face of Death may not deliver a new story but the cast makes it worth it.  Fans of the series will love it.  Check it out.