Sorry, this movie sucks

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Paul Kersey is back at working vigilante justice when his fiancée, Olivia, has her business threatened by mobsters. Death Wish V: The Face of Death benefits from Charles Bronson's amazing talent but unfortunately that isn't saying much about the film itself. First of all the villains were kind of uninteresting and boring, the kills are few and forgettable and the movie lacks action and good suspense except a few moments like the ending and the attack on the house but overall this is the worst of the 5 movies. (4.9/10)

I'll admit, despite my love for the series as I explored them all for the very first time within this past year, I was a little weary going into this one for a number of reasons. First of all, that cover is just awful. It looks like a Made-for-TV movie. It's also not an entry in the decades long franchise that anyone ever mentions. At least, not in my experience. But I needed to finish the franchise, even if I wasn't particularly all that excited about this one.Truthfully, it took a good 30 minutes for me to really get into it. Much like the cover art, it has a very Made-for-TV quality about it. Yet it's not a bad looking film. Writer/director Allan A. Goldstein does give the film an overall nice look, despite the film looking limited to an extent. But still, he's an odd choice for something like this, especially when you look at all the previous entries. Nothing in Goldstein's past filmography would lead you to believe he could deliver a solid Death Wish film. Nothing. My guess is Menaham Golan got him cheap. So I was kind of thrown off with that for a bit, but I'm glad I stuck it through because the film only got better and better as it moved along. In fact, simply based on how the film looked and started right off the bat, I was not at all expecting it to go where it ultimately did in terms of the action and violence.Poor Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson). The guy just cannot catch a break. It doesn't matter where he moves, or how many years have passed since the last catastrophe, he just seems to attract trouble and torment. It's like it's never far behind, always just waiting in the wings for the absolute worst moment to strike, and it always does. Essentially, that's what the Death Wish films feed off of, and it's what makes them the films they are. But seriously, how much can one man take before he loses his mind? Thankfully that hasn't happened yet, and whenever tragedy strikes, Kersey shifts into revenge mode to deliver some vigilante justice, but you'd think that by now he would just stop dating altogether. I mean, every single woman in his life, whether it be a family member or love interest, dies simply because they are a woman in a Death Wish film. That's just the formula Michael Winner began with in the first film, and carried on into the second, and it's a formula the series has continued even going into this one. Now that I think about it, I can't recall a woman close to him dying in Part 3, but I could be wrong. And the kills. Oh the kills! When they finally do come into play, they're pretty spectacular. I'll just leave it at that.The cast is pretty solid, but aside from Bronson returning, the only real standout is the casting of Michael Parks as the main villain, who does a formidable job in the role as a slimy, cantankerous businessman who runs his businesses like the mob. Speaking of casting, Bronson was 72 when he made this, which just blows my mind. The guy doesn't look a day over 60 and age has not slowed him down one bit.So the film itself turned out to be a lot better than I anticipated. It takes a bit to get used to it's particular TV atmosphere, but that doesn't really last long because soon enough, it begins to slowly resemble the kind of film you were looking forward to right from the start. There's really nothing about the story that set's it apart from any of the other previous entries; the woman he loves is killed, so he goes out for revenge. Same ol' story. Though it has a lower body count than most of the other films, it's the way and manner that these sorry sons of bitches are killed that kind of blew me away. There may be less killing, but it's pretty brutal all the same. I also have to give credit to Allan A. Goldstein, the director. When the action kicked in, the film took on a whole new life and it was awesome. Whether it be a chase, shootout, fist fight or execution, the film kind of shifts gears and I kind of wish there was more violence because the film was so much better when there was. I really dig it. It's almost as if the film was directed by 2 different people, and for all I know, maybe the 2nd unit or assistant director's had something to do with that. In either case, you can bet your ass that when it comes to the "revenge" aspect to the film, Death Wish V: The Face of Death does in fact deliver the goods in a big way.Despite all my praises, because it is indeed a highly enjoyable film and better than I was expecting, it doesn't come off as one of the best in the series. In fact, taking into consideration that they're all pretty great each in their own very specific way, this would easily be the weakest in the series. But rest assured, that doesn't make it a bad film in any way. If there's anything Death Wish V proves, it's that it has a lot of things stacked against it right from the get-go, yet ultimately prevails despite it's numerous obstacles. It caught me off guard in a good way, and while it might not be the best entry in the franchise, it's vastly superior to a lot of the paint-by-numbers copycats that were prominent in this genre on both the big and little screen. It's a great film, you just have to give it a chance.www.robotGEEKSCultCinema.blogspot.com

Let's face it: if you have made it this far in the 'Death Wish' franchise, you are not watching this fourth sequel expecting Oscar worthy dialogue or three dimensional supporting characters. Chances are, the drawing factor is either Charles Bronson's on-screen presence, his creative killing methods, charismatic villains, or a combination of all three, and 'The Face of Death' delightfully has all three elements in spades. Considering his advanced age at the time, Bronson does well in the lead role with a genuine gleam in his eyes when taking out those who have wronged him. From cyanide sprinkled on cannoli, to choking in cling wrap, to a remote control soccer ball (!), Bronson also does his dirty business in highly inventive ways, and to top it off, Michael Parks is electric as the chief antagonist. The basic story admittedly recycles too much from previous entries for its own good with yet another wife/girlfriend attacked, yet another (surrogate) daughter in peril and yet another ineffective police force, but everything essentially works here since the focus is on the violence and the extent of the reign of terror from Parks and his underlings. The film also boasts lots of imaginative female attire with a couple of zany fashion shows in the mix. With some effective point-of-view camera- work in a hospital section, the film additionally has better technical credentials than one might expect given its reputation. Sure, 'The Face of Death' does not take the basic story in any real fresh or new directions, but what worked once before still suffices if one is in the mood.

I remember seeing the original trailer for this in theaters and it was thrilling. I finally got around to seeing 'Death Wish V: The Face of Death' and it was a total waste of time.The movie isn't nails on chalkboard it just lacks any redeeming qualities. Characters, action, or entertainment of any type.The 'Death Wish' series have always had their own unique style as high budget exploitation films. 'Death Wish V' breaks that mold by trying to be something the audience doesn't want to see, a low quality mainstream Hollywood action film.Paul Kersey's (Charles Bronson) back in NYC after his stint as a California vigilante in 'Death Wish IV' and remarried to a beautiful rich fashion designer on 9th Avenue. Predictably she's being extorted by her ex-husband and gangster Michael Parks. While the gangsters' ethnicity is never made clear, Irish? Italian? Well at least they're Catholic as there are two separate Catholic funeral scenes. These gangsters have no gimmick at all. They're just boring.Mrs. Kersey wants to expose the illegal dealings of 9th Avenue to district attorney Saul Rubinek. It's also never made clear what kind of crimes are being committed in the garment district other than simple money laundering. Laundering money from what illegal business? Child labor? Smuggling drugs in clothing? It's never explained.Predictably Mrs. Kersey ends up just like the last two Mrs. Kerseys, dead. Bronson's 0 for 3 on wives in this series. I've been keeping count.Worse still, Bronson looses custody of his step daughter to Michael Parks. They don't fight it out in family court or anything. His goons just beat Bronson up.Now it's time for Paul Kersey to emerge as the vigilante to avenge his wife's murder. He better hurry, the movie's already half over! None of the death scenes are interesting, and the final shootout is reminiscent of 'Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.'What's also odd is how the gangsters and the DA both know Kersey as the vigilante killer! So why is he walking the streets? He's killed dozens of people over the last four films? This movie is a total waste of time and makes no sense. Quit while you're ahead with number IV.