The massively cool anti-hero of this legendary movie franchise was about 65 years of age when he filmed "Death Wish 4". In these present times and around the world – and most definitely in the year 1987 – this is a more than respectable age to enjoy retirement, but not of course is your name is Charles "Charlie" Bronson! While the vast majority of guys his age are planning Wednesday afternoon fishing trips and watching reruns of "The Little House on the Prairie", Bronson is still too busy sweeping the filth off the big city streets in his very own and inimitable style. The fourth in the series didn't have good old Michael Winner in the director's seat for the very first time, but with J. Lee Thompson as his replacement, Charlie could nevertheless depend on one of his best action movie buddies. The two already made numerous and similarly themed movies together, including "Murphy's Law", "The Evil that Men Do" and "10 to Midnight". Once again, honorable architect by day and angel of vengeance by night Paul Kersey loses a loved one (the teenage daughter of his new girlfriend) to a crime related incident. He not-so-inconspicuously kills the pusher who sold the girl her last and fatal dose of drugs and hereby catches the attention of millionaire Nathan White. He also lost his daughter to a drug overdose and wants to hire Kersey to clean the Los Angeles streets once and for all. Can Charles Bronson single-handedly eliminate the two main cartels that are together responsible for 90% of the LA drug-traffic? Well, he sure can! In good old "Death Wish" tradition, you shouldn't look for logic or plausibility in script but merely enjoy the spectacular action sequences and the giant bad-guys body count! There hardly are any cars or buildings that Charlie doesn't blow up, and even though he's up against two – supposedly – professional and well-organized crime networks, he even finds the time to squeeze off a handful of dry humorous one-liners ("I was making a sandwich" he says to a hired killer who catches him hiding out in the kitchen). You particularly got to love how Bronson goes straight to his target without much of a plan and a minimum of preparation. It's rather questionable that anyone could just infiltrate a major drug lord's private mansion simply disguised as a waiter during a birthday party, or as a factory worker in the top-secret merchandise shipping lair, but if you're only interested in waterproof preparation plan you should watch "Ocean's Eleven" instead of the "Death Wish" series. It also helps Charlie that apparently none of his opponents can shoot a gun properly and that they all underestimate the bare-knuckle fighting talents of a 65-year-old. The script, from the hand of Gail Morgan Hickman, attempts to bring a couple of admirable – but nevertheless predictable – abrupt twists near the climax and there's a quintessential 80's sequence set inside a roller blade disco. Ah, good times! Personally I don't understand why so many people around here claim it's one of the worst movies ever made. Do you honestly expect to see a masterpiece of plotting and/or suspense when you settle yourself down in front of something called "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown"? All of Charles Bronson's eighties flicks deliver exactly the same: brainless and violent entertainment. This one isn't an exception at all.
Review of Death Wish 4: The Crackdown
