I never saw Death Wish 5 until recently. I avoided it as I expected it to be really bad. I'm glad to be proven wrong and I thought Death Wish 5 was actually pretty good and enjoyed it quite a bit. When it comes to the classic first film and the series, there really is no comparison. The 1974 film is more of a dark action thriller and a excellent dramatic film and original story. After that the movies that follow are strictly action flicks. I will give Death Wish 2 credit as a good sequel and the most like the first film, but by the time we get to the third film Paul Kersey is in full action hero mode and basically mows down a bunch of bad guys. In this film, he doesn't take out low rent thugs. He goes after a local monster that disgfured and killed his girlfriend. Charles Bronson approaches the killings in many different creative ways, not so much like a vigilante, but a special forces guy that is so highly trained and off the grid. At age 72, Bronson is still in good shape and is quite good in this. Main villain and monster Michael Parks is also good as baddie and gangster scumbag. The action and story is pretty well balanced with the right pacing and pretty serious tone. For low budget direct to video action movies Death Wish 5 is pretty well made and has some pretty gory killings for 1994. Overall I really enjoyed this and is a pretty solid action movie.
Review of Death Wish: The Face of Death
The final installment in the Death Wish series and the last movie for Charles Bronson
6 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers