"I'm Death!"...( read more)it signals a substantial decline in quality for the series. This isn't quite the same kettle of fish as its predecessors - the concept is tired, Paul has lost his inimitable zing, and a new director is behind the camera. In the end, Death Wish 4 is merely a careless, low-budget money-grab.
It's risky business getting close to architect-come-vigilante Paul Kersey (Bronson), whose family and friends all seem to have a drastically reduced life expectancy. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is the third sequel to 1974's Death Wish, and
Now that Paul Kersey's entire family has been wiped out (with the exception of his stepson who curiously disappeared after the first film), additional loved ones need to be introduced in order to bring out Paul's vigilante instincts - for this outing, he's dating a woman and she has alive family members.
In Death Wish 4, Paul has returned to Los Angeles and is dating attractive reporter Karen Sheldon (Lenz) who has a teenage daughter named Erica (Barron). They all live together happily, but this wouldn't be another Death Wish sequel unless this solace is shattered. One night Erica dies of a drug overdose, and in retaliation Paul begins to punish the city's major drug dealers. But even an unstoppable vigilante like Paul Kersey needs some support, and here it comes from publisher Nathan White (Ryan) who's determined to avenge the drug-related death of his own daughter. White hires Kersey to kill the key players within two rival drug dealing organisations and thus instigate a war between them. Of course, the police get involved with some reluctance...but are utterly useless in the grand scheme of things.
The original Death Wish effectively spoke about the urban crime epidemic of the 1970s, but the sequels substituted this societal commentary with bloodletting and exploitative action. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown continues this tradition with thinner plotting and thicker action. It's filled with laughable contrivances, unclear motivations, one-dimensional characterisations and an almost indecipherable plot. Unlike the preceding sequels, Paul Kersey now targets drug dealers instead of street punks. The film tries to deliver a timely message about the dangers of drug use, but it lacks the gritty realism required to send home a clear message, and it's clearly interested in just one thing: exploiting violence.
Charles Bronson was apparently displeased with Death Wish 3, and terminated his creative partnership with director Michael Winner as a result. J. Lee Thompson instead parachuted into the director's chair (his prior films include Cape Fear and Guns of the Navarone, and such Bronson films as The Evil That Men Do). The series' distributor (Cannon Films) was on the verge of bankruptcy by the time Death Wish 4 came down the pipeline, and the company were accordingly cutting back on budgets. Thompson's work is visibly marred by budgetary restraints - camera movements and set-ups are basic, and there are a bunch of technical goofs (one explosion looks incredibly fake and was obviously superimposed). The action sequences do remain enjoyable, but one has to overlook a number of contrivances while watching them (people with clear shots at Paul always delay their firing, giving the protagonist a chance to notice their position).
The aging Charles Bronson was no spring chicken when Death Wish 4 entered production, and he sleepwalks throughout the film as if someone was always dangling his paycheck just out of camera range. It's gotten to the point where the vigilante just isn't motivated anymore. At least Bronson does deliver some great tough guy dialogue, mind you. As with prior instalments, credibility is frequently an issue - how can an aging Paul continue to fight and win against more spry opponents? Oh well, it's an action film of the '80s...who cares about logic?
As long as you disable your brain before viewing and temper your expectations, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is a serviceable entry to the stale Death Wish series. In the end it's just too predictable, too naff and too by-the-numbers.
Followed by Death Wish V: The Face of Death.
Charles Bronson, Connie Hair, Dan Ferrone
Charles Bronson reprises his role as vigilante Paul Kersey, who's now back in Los Angeles to take on another scourge: the dealers who serve up the poison most commonly known as crack. When the daughte...( read more
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DVD Release Date: February 3, 2004
Stats: 200 reviews
Flixster Reviews (200)
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August 8, 2009"I'm Death!"
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It's risky business getting close to architect-come-vigilante Paul Kersey (Bronson), whose family and friends all seem to have a drastically reduced life expectancy. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is the third sequel to 1974's Death Wish, and -
January 28, 2008Charles Bronson did it again! He pulled off the impossible, He makes Schwarzenegger and Stallone look like wussies. I thought his performance was nothing less than mesmorising and for and old guy to walk softly and carry a big gun that takes alot of talent. the story was so heart...( read more)
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December 9, 2007While not as funny as the comedy Death Wish 3, this is one effin entertaining flick. I think I am officially a J. Lee Thompson fan, the man made some wonderfully violent eighties Bronson extravaganzas which are up there with my favourite action films. In this one it seems they ...( read more)
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August 9, 2009This is my least favorite of the series because it's as if the script writers had no inspiration whatsoever. The character of Paul Kearsey does no more than go through the motions of a vigilante. There is no passion behind the character's reason for taking up the gun again, the ...( read more)
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August 1, 2009I've seen all the "Death Wish" movies serie and I really enjoyed all of them.
Although Charles' character seems somewhat mean he has his reasons and in the end we all support him to kill and to take revenge on all his enemies.
I know, it seems a bit creepy, but these movies hav...( read more) -
July 21, 2009Kersey! Kersey! Kersey!
This was one of the best Death Wish movies I've seen this far. The original, in my eyes, will remain the best. Good ole' fashioned 80s OTT violence! WOOHOO! -
July 15, 2009Bronson does it again! He does a better job busting the drugpusher than snake eater.
A bit unrealistic wouldn`t they recognize his signature mustage and his car. Sometimes they give him too much time. Keep that in mind if your wanna be an vigilante yourself. -
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September 17, 2008Not quite as funbad as 2 and 3, and also lacking the Jimmy Page guitar riffs, but does contain a sequence of Bronson blowing people away with an uzi, and then beating others physically with the uzi.
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