Death Wish V: The Face of Death

Directed by Allan A. Goldstein, Death Wish V: The Face of Death follows Charles Bronson’s Paul Kersey as he once again springs into violent action after his fiancée (Lesley-Anne Down’s Olivia) is murdered by her ex-husband (Michael Parks’ Tommy O’Shea). It’s immediately clear that Death Wish V: The Face of Death marks a noticeable (and distressing) step downwards for the admittedly erratic franchise, as filmmaker Goldstein, armed with his own screenplay, has infused the proceedings with an often distractingly low-rent feel that’s exacerbated by a continuing emphasis on eye-rollingly routine and conventional elements – with this particularly true of the often breathtakingly generic portrayal of the various bad-guy figures. (Parks’ over-the-top turn as the mustache-twirling villain remains a notable exception, ultimately.) And although Bronson is as compelling a protagonist as ever, even if he does seem to be phoning his performance in to a small extent, Death Wish V: The Face of Death progresses through a seriously tedious and by-the-numbers narrative that contains too few instances of over-the-top violence and carnage – which, when coupled with a fairly tiresome climax, does cement the movie’s place as an obvious low point for the otherwise watchable series.

** out of ****