Death Wish V: The Face of Death (1994)

Director:

Allan A. Goldstein

Writers (WGA):

Brian Garfield (characters)
Michael Colleary (story) ...

Release Date:

14 January 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Action | Thriller

Tagline:

The vigilante is back...

Plot:

Paul Kersey is back at working vigilante justice when when his fiancée, Olivia, has her business threatened by mobsters.

Plot Keywords:

Cyanide | Vigilante | Canoli | Topless | Female Nudity

Cast

Charles Bronson	...	Paul Kersey
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Olivia Regent
Michael Parks	...	Tommy O'Shea
Chuck Shamata	...	Sal Paconi
Kevin Lund	...	Chuck Paconi
Robert Joy	...	Freddie 'Flakes'
Saul Rubinek	...	Tony Hoyle
Miguel Sandoval	...	Hector Vasquez
Kenneth Welsh	...	Lt. Mickey King
Lisa Inouye	...	Janice Omori
Erica Lancaster	...	Chelsea Regent
Jefferson Mappin	...	Big Al
Michael Dunston	...	Reg
Claire Rankin	...	Maxine
Sharolyn Sparrow	...	Dawn

Also Known As:

Death Wish 5: The Face of Death (UK) (video box title)
Death Wish: The Face of Death (USA) (DVD box title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Finland:(Banned) (1994) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1994) (cut) | Finland:K-18 (2002) (uncut) | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 (JK/SPIO) | USA:R (certificate #32637) | Philippines:R-18 | Australia:MA | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | UK:15 (video rating) (2005) | UK:18 (original rating) | Norway:15 (DVD rating) (uncut) (2005)

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

21st Century Film Corporation

Trivia:

Gail Morgan Hickman and J. Lee Thompson wrote the first screenplay to Death Wish V in the late 1980s. Menahem Golan decided it would be too expensive.

Quotes:

Tony Hoyle: Let the law take these guys down. You know, sometimes the law works.
Paul Kersey: And Sometimes it doesn't! These people, they steal, they murder, they destroy people's lives and they get away with it! They have alibis, money, lawyers, power. They have everything.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater: Killer Geeks" (1995)

Soundtrack:

GUARDIAN ANGEL

A step up from the previous entry

With his cousin and long-time partner Yoram Globus gone after the private feud that errupted when Cannon Films went bankrupt, Menahem Golan turned to schlock producers Ami Artzi and Damian Lee to produce the fifth entry of the series. Surprisingly, especially considering the general quality of their output, they manage to improve on the poor quality of DEATH WISH 4. The production values (as low budget as they may be) aren't as cheap as they were before, Bronson is a bit more lively in his performance, and the screenplay tries more for a story of substance. What really makes the movie fun at times is its twisted sense of humor. There's some nice black comic-moments, such as with one particular mobster's funeral scene, or the later plastic wrap sequence. Even better is Michael Parks' performance as the chief bad guy. His various comments (improvised?) about anything are hilarious, and he lays on the ham very thickly to be a lot of fun to watch.

It still could have been better. One of the two big problems with the movie is that it takes about half of the movie for Bronson to start his rampage of vengeance. Even with Parks' entertaining performance, you'll likely be squirming in your seat with impatience for Bronson to get it on. And when he *does* get it on, it's kind of underwhelming - there's not much of a body count, and the length of time between kills is relentlessly padded. At least the end results are not the worst way the series could have ended. (By the way, Golan actually announced "Death Wish 6: The New Vigilante" in the trade papers not long after this one was released, though his company going bankrupt put an end to that plan.)