Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1987
	Director: J. Lee Thompson (The Guns of Navarone, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes)
	Actors: Charles Bronson (The Magnificent 7, Death Wish 1-5), Kay Lenz, John P. Ryan
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller, Action, Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 02.06.2020, Full HD, 14" computer screen.
Synopsis: Paul Kersey (Bronson), ex-Vigilante, now has his own Architect studio in Los Angeles and a new love interest. When her daughter overdoses, Kersey's instincts come back to the surface.
Review: After the best movie of the series Death Wish and the most memorable Death Wish 3, the prospect of watching this one made me feel like they were stretching the concept a bit too long. but when you watch it to the end, it is in fact a valid addition to the franchise, if there is such thing. Exit the punks stealing and murdering for kicks, Kersey now goes against organized crime. The story justifies quite well his return to the streets, and the coincidence that plagues the beginning of the movie like the previous two is cleverly put back into context at the end. The way he returns to the streets is however different, as he has at his disposal a full arsenal of gadgets that he uses to decimate the two rival gangs. This often feels too much, culminating with the explosive bottle of wine, one reducing in particular to ashes the future star debuting in that movie: Danny "Machete" Trejo. As usual we follow in parallel the Police investigation, one of the better shown and including a nice twist. The whole story is in fact well written with the right balance of Action and twists and suspense... and it is well shot by a renowned director. Among the more annoying things are the big ellipse in the side story with Kersey's girl, and the Acting in general but what did you expect? I totally forgot it but I think I have seen this movie once because I was half-expecting the third act. Or I have seen the same story structure in another movie: (spoiler, highlight to read) the hero is tricked into eliminating two rival gangs by a third. Anyway, much better than I was expecting.
Rating: 6 /10