Death Wish 2 (1982) / Death Wish 3 (1985) / Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by Michael24

I was renting all of these from Netflix several years ago to see them for the first time. I loved 1-4. The 5th was so bad I couldn't even finish it. I had to turn it off about halfway through. It was dreadful and didn't have nearly the fun factor as the previous sequels.

I saw V about a decade or so... I don't remember it being that terrible, but it was clear that it was an outsider compared to what was being made at the time. Death Wish was best left for the 70's and 80's. I think it deserves a blu ray release though. It should have been it with the other sequels.

Sort of off-topic, I always wonder why Bronson turned down Die Hard. Maybe simply got used to doing the Death Wish movies and didn't want to do anything else.

[mja345]

The Bronson film that re-creates the insanity of "Death Wish 3" the closest is "Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects". It's essentially an extension of the "Death Wish" franchise, but Bronson plays a complete prick instead of his usual laconic persona. There are moments in that film that rival the insanity of DW3. DW4 is pretty absurd in its own right, but lacks the delirious lunacy of 3 because the characters around Bronson are much more grounded in reality than in 3. "Murphy's Law" is also a lot of fun if you're on a Bronson kick.

The key to DW3 is that Bronson is sticking to his customary unflappable persona while every other character is straight out of a cartoon. As a result, DW3 feels like a violent fever dream.

[Markgway]

My idea of proportionate violence:

[Hard Times Chaney]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

I saw V about a decade or so... I don't remember it being that terrible, but it was clear that it was an outsider compared to what was being made at the time. Death Wish was best left for the 70's and 80's. I think it deserves a blu ray release though. It should have been it with the other sequels.

Sort of off-topic, I always wonder why Bronson turned down Die Hard. Maybe simply got used to doing the Death Wish movies and didn't want to do anything else.

He did plenty of other movies than Death Wish during that time.

[WesReviews]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

Sort of off-topic, I always wonder why Bronson turned down Die Hard. Maybe simply got used to doing the Death Wish movies and didn't want to do anything else.

It's hard to say. In 1988, he was still under contract with Cannon. So this is most likely the reason.

But also around this time, his wife Jill was battling breast cancer so his work decreased considerably. After her death in 1990, he didn't do very many more movies.

[Johnzilla2179]

Umbrella Entertainment (the company that released the region-free Aussie two-fer of the second and third Death Wish films) has listed a double feature of Death Wish 4 and Death Wish 5. Their website lists the release as Region B, but the last one had the same label and ended up being region free so hopefully this one will as well. Street date of May 2.

https://www.umbrellaent.com.au/comin...h+4&results=18

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Though I've seen the original 1974 Death Wish numerous times over the years (the first time was as an '80's TV broadcast), I just recently watched Death Wish II - V; all for the first time ever. I felt all of these sequels were very good action films, and much better than I expected! Each had a solid, entertaining storyline, and it was very satisfying to see an average, aging everyman (Bronson) take on hardened, vicious criminals in revenge for the killing of his loved ones/friends.

Death Wish II (1982): Good to move the character of Paul Kersey (Bronson) to CA; nice to have a setting completely different from NYC. The death of his daughter was tragic, and good motivation for him to go after another set of scum-bags. My only quibble was that the movie seemed to be set in "real time" (i.e., 1981/1982), yet Bronson's daughter hadn't aged appropriately from the original film (she was much younger that she should have been). I know the actress was different here, however, so this could be overlooked. It was nice to see Bronson's real-life wife (Jill Ireland) as the love-interest here;

[Show spoiler]I found it realistic that she left him at the end of the film, once she found out he was the gunman (due to her disagreeing with him re: his tactic(s) of taking revenge against the criminals that killed his daughter).

Death Wish III (1985): Wow! What an intentionally over-the-top action fest. Bronson was virtually a one-man army here, and a run-down NYC neighborhood was turned into a veritable war zone. Again, the motivation here for Bronson "getting back" at the criminals was solid; his old friend was killed, and later his girlfriend.

[Show spoiler]My favorite scene was towards the end, when he blew the leader of the criminals through the wall of his apartment, using the rocket launcher - the expression on the face of the criminal right before this happened was classic! And, it was cool to see that there was virtually nothing left of the bad guy - just a pile of burned-out meat & bones - LOL!

This is definitely my favorite film in the franchise; I even liked this slightly better than Death Wish I.

Death Wish IV (1987): Great film! I liked how there was a "twist" in this one;

[Show spoiler]Kersey was initially tricked by a supposed captain of industry who wanted revenge on the drug kingpins because his daughter had died of an overdose. However, in reality this guy was a drug lord who was pretending to be someone else, and was using Kersey as a pawn to eliminate the competition.

I liked how Kersey turned the tables on these scum-bags in the end.

To X-files fans: Note that Mitch Pileggi (Agent Skinner in X-files) played a criminal in this film; he was one of the bad guys in the drug warehouse, and sported a shaved head.

Death Wish V (1994): I wrote my review of this in the "Wish List" section, since it's not on Region 1 Blu-ray yet. In essence, this is a solid film with a great main villain (Michael Parks); however, the film is marred by extremely poor audio - at least on the DVD.

In a perfect world, I would like to see a boxed set of all five Death Wish films on Region 1 Blu-ray - I would definitely buy this. Not sure if this will ever happen, however.

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

Death Wish II (1982): Good to move the character of Paul Kersey (Bronson) to CA; nice to have a setting completely different from NYC. The death of his daughter was tragic, and good motivation for him to go after another set of scum-bags. My only quibble was that the movie seemed to be set in "real time" (i.e., 1981/1982), yet Bronson's daughter hadn't aged appropriately from the original film (she was much younger that she should have been). I know the actress was different here, however, so this could be overlooked. It was nice to see Bronson's real-life wife (Jill Ireland) as the love-interest here;

[Show spoiler]I found it realistic that she left him at the end of the film, once she found out he was the gunman (due to her disagreeing with him re: his tactic(s) of taking revenge against the criminals that killed his daughter).

I just watched my Shout DW2 the other night and I don't think it's set at the time of production. I remember checking because I was pretty sure it was an early eighties film but the timeline mentioned in the film had it occurring shortly after the events of the first film. I could be remembering this backwards though.

And I too enjoy 2-4 but was pretty bored by 5. Only saw that one on American basic cable tv though so it was likely edited. Would like to give it another try but I don't think it currently has an affordable blu release. One thing I definitely remember about that one is that Bronson was starting to show his age at that point. He looked even worse in Death Wish 9 though:

Death wish 9 - YouTube

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

To add to my last post, Bronson in these Death Wish movies is definitely the man. He not only kicks ass & takes names, but has a hot love interest in all the sequel films, including the truly gorgeous Kay Lenz in DW IV

[Show spoiler](the fact that they all die in each movie is almost beside the point)

- i.e., even as an older guy, he definitely still has game

Originally Posted by Cherokee Jack

I just watched my Shout DW2 the other night and I don't think it's set at the time of production. I remember checking because I was pretty sure it was an early eighties film but the timeline mentioned in the film had it occurring shortly after the events of the first film. I could be remembering this backwards though.

And I too enjoy 2-4 but was pretty bored by 5. Only saw that one on American basic cable tv though so it was likely edited. Would like to give it another try but I don't think it currently has an affordable blu release. One thing I definitely remember about that one is that Bronson was starting to show his age at that point.

I agree that DW 2 seems like it was supposed to take place 1-2 years after the first one, which would be around 1975/1976. However, in Death Wish 4 (1987), it's mentioned that Kersey's daughter (who died in DW 2) passed in 1981. That being said, this could just be a retroactive explanation - since the film came out in '82:

The events mentioned above involving his daughter's death take place in 1981 (as stated by Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's daughter died in 1981).

I thought DW 5 wasn't going to be that great, but I really enjoyed this. Bronson gets involved with a woman whose ex-husband is a vicious gangster/drug-lord; the fashion industry also plays a role in the plot here. Great action scenes, including one where Bronson modifies a soccer ball & uses it as a weapon - LOL.

I do believe that DW 5 is available on Blu outside the U.S. - but, as you said, this is expensive.

Again, an affordably priced Blu Region 1 boxed set of DW I - V would be fantastic. With the recent Bruce Willis DW film having just been released to Blu this week, I hope we get a set like this - however, I think this may be problematic due to the various films in the franchise being owned by different companies?!

[Cherokee Jack]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

I agree that DW 2 seems like it was supposed to take place 1-2 years after the first one, which would be around 1975/1976. However, in Death Wish 4 (1987), it's mentioned that Kersey's daughter (who died in DW 2) passed in 1981. That being said, this could just be a retroactive explanation - since the film came out in '82:

The events mentioned above involving his daughter's death take place in 1981 (as stated by Officer Reiner in Death Wish 4, Kersey's daughter died in 1981).

Below is the line that I believe had me checking DW2's release year. It would have DW2 taking place around '78 if the original took place the year it was released. Wouldn't surprise me if this series got its continuity mixed up as it went along.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Good to know - I now remember that line. I can see DW 2 taking place in '78 instead of '81. 4 years is not that long. And, the cars/hairstyles/etc. wouldn't have changed that much from the late '70's vs. the early '80's. So, even though it was probably filmed in '81 (released in '82), it could easily pass for a late '70's film.

[DMRI2006]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

Again, an affordably priced Blu Region 1 boxed set of DW I - V would be fantastic. With the recent Bruce Willis DW film having just been released to Blu this week, I hope we get a set like this - however, I think this may be problematic due to the various films in the franchise being owned by different companies?!

Exactly, I don't think we'll ever see a boxed set of DW films in the U.S., for rights issues alone:

The original DEATH WISH is always going to be with Paramount domestically.

MGM has 2-4 worldwide, but 5 they don't own in the U.S...I'm pretty sure that's Trimark (and would be Lionsgate now). Trimark bought up the U.S. distribution (theatrical and home video) of 5 so if you want the Blu-Ray, you'll have to pick it up elsewhere, MGM doesn't own it here and we all know what Lionsgate thinks of back catalog releases (as well as licensing them out).

Good news is the new Umbrella double-feature of IV/V is region free and has new Paul Talbot commentaries -- picked it up for $18 from Deepdiscount (would be less now with the coupon).

IMO the best set of Blus for the series would be Paramount's 1, and Umbrella's sets of II/III (comes with the TV cut on DVD too; loses the Talbot II Shout commentary but adds over an hour of really good interviews from the Cannon documentary) and IV/V.

[DenOfEarth]

Shout did a good job with part 2 special edition which has the uncut version at last in it.

3 is easily my second fave of the sequels and 4 was when things went down and 5 was a weak finale.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Originally Posted by DMRI2006

Exactly, I don't think we'll ever see a boxed set of DW films in the U.S., for rights issues alone:

The original DEATH WISH is always going to be with Paramount domestically.

MGM has 2-4 worldwide, but 5 they don't own in the U.S...I'm pretty sure that's Trimark (and would be Lionsgate now). Trimark bought up the U.S. distribution (theatrical and home video) of 5 so if you want the Blu-Ray, you'll have to pick it up elsewhere, MGM doesn't own it here and we all know what Lionsgate thinks of back catalog releases (as well as licensing them out).

Good news is the new Umbrella double-feature of IV/V is region free and has new Paul Talbot commentaries -- picked it up for $18 from Deepdiscount (would be less now with the coupon).

IMO the best set of Blus for the series would be Paramount's 1, and Umbrella's sets of II/III (comes with the TV cut on DVD too; loses the Talbot II Shout commentary but adds over an hour of really good interviews from the Cannon documentary) and IV/V.

Good to know - Thanks. I agree with you that this is the best way to buy all 5 DW films on Blu. I only really shop for Blu's on Amazon, and a complete set of DW I - V would be about $79 (before tax), if you go this route: I just priced this, and, from Amazon right now, you can get DW I individually for about $9 (rounded off); the double-feature of DW II - III runs around $30 (Region-free Import); and IV/V (Region free Import) runs about $40.

That being said, I'm thinking that a hypothetical Blu Region 1 boxed set of all the films would possibly run $50 - $60 - maybe. That also being said, since no Blu Region 1 boxed set of all 5 films exists (and will probably never exist), the above is the only option at this point.

[#Darren]

If anyone has compared the PQ AQ differences between the US and AUS releases I'd love to hear their opinions...

[DMRI2006]

Originally Posted by AnamorphicWidescreen

Good to know - Thanks. I agree with you that this is the best way to buy all 5 DW films on Blu. I only really shop for Blu's on Amazon, and a complete set of DW I - V would be about $79 (before tax), if you go this route: I just priced this, and, from Amazon right now, you can get DW I individually for about $9 (rounded off); the double-feature of DW II - III runs around $30 (Region-free Import); and IV/V (Region free Import) runs about $40.

You should try Deepdiscount. The Umbrella double-features would run you $42 total instead of $70 -- and even less than that if they are running a coupon (which they do all the time). They may be out of stock but provided you use Paypal, you can backorder them for when they get them in again.

I had a coupon and ordered the IV/V double feature, cost me $18 and had it in a couple of weeks. Much better deal than Amazon, which overprices most all of their Australian imports.

[TM2-Megatron]

Has Shout (or anyone else) hinted at all regarding any kind of special edition treatment for any of the other films, or are the existing releases for DW, DW3 and DW4 as much as we can hope for?

[Hedji]

Ahem.. I've never seen any of them. Not sure 1 and 2 sound like my cup of tea.

Can I start with 3 without seeing the first two?

[Markgway]

Originally Posted by Hedji

Ahem.. I've never seen any of them. Not sure 1 and 2 sound like my cup of tea.

Can I start with 3 without seeing the first two?

Yeah, all you need to know is the pre-text: Charlie is a vigilante.

[Zillamon51]

Originally Posted by Hedji

Ahem.. I've never seen any of them. Not sure 1 and 2 sound like my cup of tea.

Can I start with 3 without seeing the first two?

Part 1 is a gritty '70s urban crime thriller.

Part 2 is an exploitation movie that ups the carnage.

Part 3 is an outlandish popcorn action movie.

In Part 4, Kersey becomes more of an investigator / agent.

Part 5 tries to go back to basics, but is kind of 'meh.'