Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994)

Crappy film

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

.Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Funny how the fifth and final movie in the "Death Wish" movies turned out to actually be the best of them all. And it only took them 20 years to improve the formula. Odd, huh?Now, I have already mentioned that "Death Wish V: The Face of Death" is the best of the five movies, and that is attributed to the fact that it had the most mature and well-rounded of all five storylines told in the franchise.Funny how Paul Kersey loses someone he loves in every single movie, and yet he keeps going. Why not just isolate himself in the countryside? Bam, end of tragic losses and deaths.Well, I think that "Death Wish V: The Face of Death" as actually a nice way to tie up the franchise and leave it to rest. Wait, that's not true is it? Not with the 2018 remake with Bruce Willis hitting the cinema.Personally, I think that the "Death Wish" movies will always belong to Charles Bronson, because he embodied the Paul Kersey character and he was the face representing the franchise.If you enjoyed the previous four movies, then you definitely also will enjoy the fifth and final, yes final!, movie in the "Death Wish" franchise.

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.

Kersey is back, this time, I guess, he must be a real playboy because in each flick he has a new wife with a daughter and again this time his new girlfriend is working in the model business but her ex is a mobster so you guess where this is going.The problem is that it doesn't have anything to do with scum walking in the streets and need to be killed. That's were it went wrong with this franchise and face it, Bronson is old too here to take it up against the mob. It was his final flick, sure he did made another 4 TV movies before leaving the scene. Some scene's are unbelievable like for example when 4 thugs are shooting towards Kersey standing in the open without being hurt. The acting is okay and the story was mediocre but the major problem is the quality. Sound and picture doesn't stand up to the standards of 1994. Guess being made only for the money; sadly the worst of the series.Gore 0/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 0/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

Charles Bronson is back for the last time as vigilante Paul Kersey. Many years after Part IV, Paul Kersey is now living in the witness protection program(for undisclosed reasons) whose girlfriend(Lesley -Anne Down) is the ex-wife of a powerful mobster, who wants sole custody of their daughter, and retaliates against her, while at the same time trying to expand his empire in New York. Kersey must come out of retirement, and become the famous vigilante again.Charles Bronson is still remarkably game for his age, though looks bored in the film, which, despite some potential, is just tired and uninspired, though Michael Parks is good as the mob leader. Poorly directed , and filmed cheaply, sequel will be an unsatisfying end to the series, though Paul Kersey's last line to a policeman is good, and a nice coda for the character. Charles Bronson's last theatrical film.