Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Brian Garfield (characters)
Gail Morgan Hickman (writer)

Release Date:

6 November 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller

Tagline:

The biggest Death Wish ever!

Plot:

Architect/vigilante Paul Kersey takes on the members of a vicious Los Angeles drug cartel to stop the flow of drugs after a friend's daughter dies from an overdose.

Plot Keywords:

Architect | Drug Cartel | Sandwich | Roller Skates | Revenge

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Paul Kersey
Kay Lenz	...	Karen Sheldon
John P. Ryan	...	Nathan White
Perry Lopez	...	Ed Zacharias
George Dickerson	...	Detective Reiner
Soon-Tek Oh	...	Detective Phil Nozaki (as Soon-Teck Oh)
Dana Barron	...	Erica Sheldon
Jesse Dabson	...	Randy Viscovich
Peter Sherayko	...	Nick Franco
James Purcell	...	Vince Montono
Michael Russo	...	Danny Moreno
Danny Trejo	...	Art Sanella
Daniel Sabia	...	Al Arroyo
Mike Moroff	...	Jack Romero
Dan Ferro	...	Tony Romero

Runtime:

99 min | Finland:91 min (cut version) | Norway:94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

West Germany:18 (nf) | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | USA:R (certificate #28741) | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Finland:K-18 (2005) (uncut) | Finland:(Banned) (1988) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (1990) (cut) | Australia:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Denmark:15 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cannon Group

Trivia:

In this film, the theme played most in the action scenes were from Missing in Action (1984) and _Invasion U.S.A (1985)_.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the morgue scene, when the body of an eighteen-year-old male is uncovered, the "corpse's" eyes visibly move.

Quotes:

Paul Kersey: I was just using the... toilet?

Movie Connections:

References Breakin' (1984)

Soundtrack:

Hunger

Trading Rape for Action in #4

"Death Wish 4" is easily my favorite of the DW series, even though I really like most of the first entry. But you see, I find graphic, luridly depicted rape in films distasteful. I could take it in the first film, because there was at least some thematic and emotional need for it (though I still think it was overboard and gratuitous). Parts 2 and 3 escalated the rape and humiliation sequences and writer/director Michael Winner actually seemed to be trying to get us to enjoy the sight of tortured, crying, beaten, naked woman as much as he obviously did; combine this with zero plot, zero character development, and inept action, and you had some really, really bad flicks. Number four was directed by J. Lee Thompson, a frequent collaborator with Bronson since 1976's "St. Ives." Thompson took the usual DW revenge formula, eliminated the obligatory rape sequence, and ratcheted up the action. So what we have is a Death Wish picture more similar to "Murphy's Law" than any of the other films in the series. Of course Bronson's 80s films are often the butt of jokes (to those who remember them at all, that is) but I happen to enjoy them immensely--there's just something I dig about this charismatic, elderly guy running around shooting bad guys; I can't even explain it. If you dig the salt and pepper Bronson as well, then give DW4 a try.