Death Wish V: The Face of Death

Rating:
Summary: Bad Ending
Review: This was a bad ending to both this movie and the entire sequel. While this movie does have explosions, gunfire, and a story line unlike the previous movies, it seems to abruptly end without a full close to the story.
As far as a close to the sequel, it would have been much better if they would have had Jeff Goldblum come back to face Bronson; after all, he did get away with murder in the first movie.

Over all, I do recomend this movie to all Death Wish lovers. Charles Bronson was correct when he defended thsese movies, it does give a sence of satisfaction to all those who are fustrated with the legal system.

Rating:
Summary: underrated
Review: Watched Death Wish V and the original Death Wish with friends and V is definitely the more goofy and action oriented and delivered the fun we were looking for. The first film is better, but this has plenty of crowd pleasing moments and deserves more credit. Bronson looks surprisingly good for a man his age and still knows how to take out the garbage.

Rating:
Summary: Hugely Entertaining Bronson Romp
Review: When Charles Bronson died recently, he left behind a body of work spanning four decades. One of his last film projects was an entry in a memorable franchise, the final installment of the "Death Wish" films. "Death Wish V: The Face of Death" marked the end of more than one era. Gone forever is the reliable low budget Bronson actioner that predominated the 1980s. I grew up on a steady diet of Chuck Bronson films, so paying homage to this enjoyable actor by watching this film was quite easy. It was a surprise to notice that one member of the Golan-Globus team that ran Cannon films in the 1980s produced "Death Wish V," giving the movie even more of a nostalgic feel. The "Death Wish" series introduced America to Paul Kersey, an architect by trade who, through a series of unfortunate and violent circumstances, sought bloody revenge on criminals who murdered his family. The first film did wonderfully at the box office, providing a measure of vicarious thrill for a population weary of rampant crime on the streets of America. Then the series got ridiculous as Kersey literally became a death wish for anybody who associated with him. In each subsequent film, a girlfriend or soon to be wife bought the big one, inspiring the architect to hit the streets one more time in search of retribution. This guy lost more people close to him because of criminals than would ever be possible, but such is the dangerous world of filmmaking.

In "Death Wish V," Kersey, now in the witness protection program after his last outbreak of bloody violence, again decides to look for a wife. He finds one in Olivia Regent, a one time model who now runs her own fashion studio. Even better, Olivia has a young daughter who thinks the world of Paul and eagerly wants her mother to marry him. The only obstacle to this happy union is Olivia's ex-husband, a brutal Irish gangster named Tommy O'Shea, a guy who persists in harassing his ex-wife because he has a stake in her business. He also wants his daughter back and will do almost anything to achieve this goal. When O'Shea isn't terrorizing his family, he spends his time shaking down other businesses in the garment district. Oh, and just so we know this guy is a big time baddie, the film makes sure to let us know that O'Shea is also a racist. Within minutes Paul and Tommy exchange a few words, and we just know that Kersey will go after this guy. After a goon roughs up Olivia and murders her factory manager, Kersey quickly realizes that his complaints to the authorities fall on deaf ears. Both the police and the D.A.'s office say they can do nothing because no one will testify against the nasty O'Shea. In fact, they tell Paul that they have been on this criminal's tail for some sixteen years without success. The architect's rage knows no bounds when Olivia dies in a shoot out and her daughter ends up in the custody of her gangster father. Out comes the gun and Kersey is off on yet another bloody crusade against street predators.

Bronson looks surprisingly fit for a man well into his seventies. While I didn't buy some of the antics he took part in, the filmmakers wisely decided to minimize any physical confrontations between Kersey and O'Shea's goons. Instead, the revenge killings that take place involve some cyanide, a soccer ball filled with explosives (which works well as an idea and leads to a cool "guy on fire" scene), and your typical final showdown with plenty of gunfire and explosions. Some of the deaths are unintentionally funny, such as the factory worker soaring through a storefront window and the acid bath at the end. Overall, "Death Wish V" delivers some satisfying screen violence that fits in well with the arc of the series overall. Special mention goes to the special effects technicians who punched up the sounds of the gunfire and explosions. Every time a gun goes off it sounds like a howitzer, and the explosions boomed out of my speakers in deafening peals. Expect to hear some classic Bronson lines as he delivers justice the only way he knows how. I roared with laughter over the soccer ball scene, especially when I noticed how Kersey smiles and laughs as the guy dies. Overdone, perhaps, but realistic if this is really a guy seeking revenge for the death of a loved one.

The performances aren't too bad for this type of film. Bronson phones in his performance, which isn't surprising because he's played this character so many times. The guy who played Tommy O'Shea decided to imbue his character with a drollness as thick as an Irish brogue. Lesley-Anne Down doesn't do much as Olivia Regent, nor does the actress who plays her daughter. The various actors playing O'Shea's goons failed to stick in my memory five minutes after I watched this thing, but who cares, really? As long as Kersey blows 'em away by the end, I'm a happy camper. The violence is the real star of this movie anyway. Be sure and look for the familiar faces of Saul Rubinek as Tony Hoyle and Miguel Sandoval as his suspicious sidekick Hector. The DVD doesn't contain too much in the way of extras, but the picture looks good for such a fun, throwaway movie. You simply have to like a film that uses a poisoned pastry and a remote controlled toy to dispatch bad guys. You should also like a film that makes dandruff a major plot point. Perhaps Bronson deserved better projects for his final movie appearances, but I appreciated the fact that he made another one of these films. R.I.P., Charles Bronson.

Rating:
Summary: Hugely Entertaining Bronson Romp
Review: When Charles Bronson died recently, he left behind a body of work spanning four decades. One of his last film projects was an entry in a memorable franchise, the final installment of the "Death Wish" films. "Death Wish V: The Face of Death" marked the end of more than one era. Gone forever is the reliable low budget Bronson actioner that predominated the 1980s. I grew up on a steady diet of Chuck Bronson films, so paying homage to this enjoyable actor by watching this film was quite easy. It was a surprise to notice that one member of the Golan-Globus team that ran Cannon films in the 1980s produced "Death Wish V," giving the movie even more of a nostalgic feel. The "Death Wish" series introduced America to Paul Kersey, an architect by trade who, through a series of unfortunate and violent circumstances, sought bloody revenge on criminals who murdered his family. The first film did wonderfully at the box office, providing a measure of vicarious thrill for a population weary of rampant crime on the streets of America. Then the series got ridiculous as Kersey literally became a death wish for anybody who associated with him. In each subsequent film, a girlfriend or soon to be wife bought the big one, inspiring the architect to hit the streets one more time in search of retribution. This guy lost more people close to him because of criminals than would ever be possible, but such is the dangerous world of filmmaking.

In "Death Wish V," Kersey, now in the witness protection program after his last outbreak of bloody violence, again decides to look for a wife. He finds one in Olivia Regent, a one time model who now runs her own fashion studio. Even better, Olivia has a young daughter who thinks the world of Paul and eagerly wants her mother to marry him. The only obstacle to this happy union is Olivia's ex-husband, a brutal Irish gangster named Tommy O'Shea, a guy who persists in harassing his ex-wife because he has a stake in her business. He also wants his daughter back and will do almost anything to achieve this goal. When O'Shea isn't terrorizing his family, he spends his time shaking down other businesses in the garment district. Oh, and just so we know this guy is a big time baddie, the film makes sure to let us know that O'Shea is also a racist. Within minutes Paul and Tommy exchange a few words, and we just know that Kersey will go after this guy. After a goon roughs up Olivia and murders her factory manager, Kersey quickly realizes that his complaints to the authorities fall on deaf ears. Both the police and the D.A.'s office say they can do nothing because no one will testify against the nasty O'Shea. In fact, they tell Paul that they have been on this criminal's tail for some sixteen years without success. The architect's rage knows no bounds when Olivia dies in a shoot out and her daughter ends up in the custody of her gangster father. Out comes the gun and Kersey is off on yet another bloody crusade against street predators.

Bronson looks surprisingly fit for a man well into his seventies. While I didn't buy some of the antics he took part in, the filmmakers wisely decided to minimize any physical confrontations between Kersey and O'Shea's goons. Instead, the revenge killings that take place involve some cyanide, a soccer ball filled with explosives (which works well as an idea and leads to a cool "guy on fire" scene), and your typical final showdown with plenty of gunfire and explosions. Some of the deaths are unintentionally funny, such as the factory worker soaring through a storefront window and the acid bath at the end. Overall, "Death Wish V" delivers some satisfying screen violence that fits in well with the arc of the series overall. Special mention goes to the special effects technicians who punched up the sounds of the gunfire and explosions. Every time a gun goes off it sounds like a howitzer, and the explosions boomed out of my speakers in deafening peals. Expect to hear some classic Bronson lines as he delivers justice the only way he knows how. I roared with laughter over the soccer ball scene, especially when I noticed how Kersey smiles and laughs as the guy dies. Overdone, perhaps, but realistic if this is really a guy seeking revenge for the death of a loved one.

The performances aren't too bad for this type of film. Bronson phones in his performance, which isn't surprising because he's played this character so many times. The guy who played Tommy O'Shea decided to imbue his character with a drollness as thick as an Irish brogue. Lesley-Anne Down doesn't do much as Olivia Regent, nor does the actress who plays her daughter. The various actors playing O'Shea's goons failed to stick in my memory five minutes after I watched this thing, but who cares, really? As long as Kersey blows 'em away by the end, I'm a happy camper. The violence is the real star of this movie anyway. Be sure and look for the familiar faces of Saul Rubinek as Tony Hoyle and Miguel Sandoval as his suspicious sidekick Hector. The DVD doesn't contain too much in the way of extras, but the picture looks good for such a fun, throwaway movie. You simply have to like a film that uses a poisoned pastry and a remote controlled toy to dispatch bad guys. You should also like a film that makes dandruff a major plot point. Perhaps Bronson deserved better projects for his final movie appearances, but I appreciated the fact that he made another one of these films. R.I.P., Charles Bronson.