DEATH WISH V: THE FACE OF DEATH (1994)
DEATH WISH V: THE FACE OF DEATH is the fifth and final installment in the Death Wish franchise which starred legendary movie tough guy Charles Bronson as Paul Kersey, a middle-aged architect who turns a seeker of vengeance after the assault on his wife and daughter by creeps in the original DEATH WISH (1974). The wife dies and the daughter falls into a deep, catatonic state. After some soul searching, he comes into possession of a handgun and ultimately makes the choice to become a vigilante, where he walks the streets of New York shooting muggers while using himself as bait.
Okay, let's just get this out of the way: DEATH WISH V is not some unheralded masterpiece of the genre. Not at all. There's no Giggler, stuffed cabbage, or Wildey handcannons to be found here, ladies and gentlemen.
However, it is a lot better than people give it credit. It features some competent, and at times even stylish, direction; decent action and stunts; and an awesome cast:
the aforementioned Bronson, the late, great Michael Parks, Lesley-Anne Down, Robert Joy, Miguel Sandoval, Kenneth Walsh, and Saul Rubinek. Plus, it's set around Christmastime, so that makes it an official Christmas movie.
But what really makes this entry in the series for me is the way it concludes the arc of Paul Kersey that began 20 years before. What arc? Glad you asked. Let's break it down.
PART V follows the same formula as the all the others: a loved one of Kersey’s is killed by criminals. He gets angry, kills them all. But have you ever wondered why that keeps happening to him? Why does everyone Kersey loves fall prey to the punks and creeps of the underworld? Is he cursed? And the answer to that is: He is.
To clarify my point, let me point you to another career vigilante: The Punisher.
Frank Castle lost his family in a gangland style hit. While he survived, his wife and two children weren't as lucky. From that day forward, the highly decorated marine/Vietnam veteran waged war on the entire criminal underbelly of New York as The Punisher, a one man Judge, Jury, and Executioner.
Sounds familiar, right? We all know the story of The Punisher. But do you understand him? To do that, we must go back to his days during the war. In the Garth Ennis-penned Punisher prequel Born, we follow Frank during his last days in Vietnam.
During those days, we see Frank “in communication” with a dark entity. A shadow specter of sorts. It promises him an endless cycle of violence. All Frank has to do is say “Yes”.
Frank, who is shown to have a somewhat strong lust for blood, continually denies the entity any form of acceptance to its offer. But after his base is completely overrun by enemy insurgents, and losing soldiers fast, he finally accepts.
The next day, after the smoke has cleared, Frank is the only man left standing. The only survivor. He is sent home to his wife Maria, and kids, Lisa Frank, Jr. It is at their reunion that the entity returns, and we now know the price Frank will have to pay for the offer he accepted: his family. After you know this, you can understand why Frank is the way he is. He refuses to get close to anyone due to the knowledge of the debt that must be paid.
Now, the entity in Born can be taken either way, literally or figuratively. You can definitely make the case that it was all in Frank’s mind. But what if it wasn't? What if this specter was indeed real? And what if the same thing happened to Kersey? What if, after the murder of his wife and the rape of his daughter, he was approached by that same dark entity, who promised him endless bloodshed in the name of revenge, while unknowingly working for death itself?
Now, back to THE FACE OF DEATH. In a pivotal moment, Kersey and his fiancee Olivia (Lesley-Anne Down) come under attack by goons sent by her ex-husband, mob boss Tommy O'Shea (Michael Parks) after she agrees to testify against him. Unfortunately, Kersey is unable to save her as she's gunned down while trying to escape. Kersey discovers her body, and while kneeling beside her, starts to breathe heavily, but subtly.
Most people would consider that lazy acting by Bronson, but I choose to focus on that moment, the moment Kersey is reminded of the fact that he can never be happy. He will never know pure love again because anytime he gets emotionally close to someone he puts their life in jeopardy through the act of bringing them into his world.
But something else happens at that moment. It is at this exact moment that something clicks within Kersey. Something more…sinister.
It is from here on that he becomes a more evolved killer. Before, Kersey had merely been an assassin of sorts. Fury incarnate with a gun.
Now, instead of simply being the Messenger of Death (pun intended), he becomes the very personification of it. Every single individual that was directly involved with the death of Olivia dies horrifically through fairly creative means at the hands of Kersey:
Mysterious poison powders on Cannolis.
Exploding motorized soccer balls.
Industrial grinders and acid pools.
These people get the worst of the worst, and Kersey for the first time shows some genuine emotion during the deaths of his victims: Pride. Pride and enjoyment. This has become fun for him. Which makes him all the more terrifying.
And after they're all dead, and he's walking off into metaphorical sunset, he tells the officer on the scene during the final confrontation:
If you need any help, give me a call.
He has finally accepted his fate, and given in to what he now is. He has truly become…
The Face of Death.
