Because at this point it is a parody of itself, a black comedy instead of a social commentary on urban violence and vigilantism.
This is an incredibly ridiculous action film from the Cannon Group. Charles Bronson returns as vigilante Paul Kersey, who returns to New York City to find an old friend has been the victim of gang violence. Kersey is hauled in by the police, but surprisingly, he's released by the beleaguered police captain (Ed Lauter), who is overwhelmed by the vicious gang plaguing the neighborhood, and gives Kersey free reign to do what's necessary to clean up the streets.
Kersey moves into his friend's apartment building, where he befriends the other tenants, a mix of kindly old folks and peaceful ethnic stereotypes. Kersey then starts a murderous campaign, slaughtering gang members at every opportunity, often in front of witnesses who cheer him on. The gang ramps up their own violent activities, and things escalate to all-out war, with literally a hundred or more fighting in the streets and alleyways.
Co-starring Martin Balsam, Deborah Raffin, and Gavan O'Herlihy as the gang leader named Fraker, who sports a reverse-mohawk, as in, he has a normal short and combed haircut, but with a big stripe shaved along the center of his hair. Most of the gang members dress in silly punk styles, with dyed hair and face paint. This movie is one of the most over-the-top violent things I've seen. According to IMDb, it has a body count of 83, which I believe. There's nonstop shootings, stabbings, beatings, people being burned alive and thrown out windows, car crashes, and more. But it is all delivered in the most cartoonish way possible, so that things aren't disturbing as much as laughable.
It plays like it was dreamed up as the most paranoid fantasy of the NRA. By the end, I couldn't stop laughing at how silly the whole thing was. My rating is more in line with that sentiment, and not in actual film quality, which would be closer to a 4/10 score. Filmed mostly in England by the ironcally named Michael Winner.
This is an incredibly ridiculous action film from the Cannon Group. Charles Bronson returns as vigilante Paul Kersey, who returns to New York City to find an old friend has been the victim of gang violence. Kersey is hauled in by the police, but surprisingly, he's released by the beleaguered police captain (Ed Lauter), who is overwhelmed by the vicious gang plaguing the neighborhood, and gives Kersey free reign to do what's necessary to clean up the streets.
Kersey moves into his friend's apartment building, where he befriends the other tenants, a mix of kindly old folks and peaceful ethnic stereotypes. Kersey then starts a murderous campaign, slaughtering gang members at every opportunity, often in front of witnesses who cheer him on. The gang ramps up their own violent activities, and things escalate to all-out war, with literally a hundred or more fighting in the streets and alleyways.
Co-starring Martin Balsam, Deborah Raffin, and Gavan O'Herlihy as the gang leader named Fraker, who sports a reverse-mohawk, as in, he has a normal short and combed haircut, but with a big stripe shaved along the center of his hair. Most of the gang members dress in silly punk styles, with dyed hair and face paint. This movie is one of the most over-the-top violent things I've seen. According to IMDb, it has a body count of 83, which I believe. There's nonstop shootings, stabbings, beatings, people being burned alive and thrown out windows, car crashes, and more. But it is all delivered in the most cartoonish way possible, so that things aren't disturbing as much as laughable.
It plays like it was dreamed up as the most paranoid fantasy of the NRA. By the end, I couldn't stop laughing at how silly the whole thing was. My rating is more in line with that sentiment, and not in actual film quality, which would be closer to a 4/10 score. Filmed mostly in England by the ironcally named Michael Winner.