Ten Stars or Less

 At this point in his life, architect/career vigilante Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) has seen and done it all. His family is dead, his girlfriends have died, and this guy killed so many bad guys it is hard to count. One would think at 73 years old (in real life), he’d be retired living in warmer climates, enjoying the simple things in life. Instead our hero finds love again, which leads him to loading his gun and seeking revenge yet again. After another loved one dies at the hands of an outraged ex-lover, Paul is forced to put an end to everything yet again. Death Wish V was the end of a franchise, not because Bronson was unable to act, but because the character had been played out and there was absolutely nothing left to do. Personally, it would have been interesting to see the character die at the hands of another vigilante or something else, but walking into the sunset was probably the right way to go. How anyone was able to resurrect this franchise and Paul Kersey was nothing short of a miracle. If this movie had been a stand alone film featuring an assassin, it could have worked given the state of the film industry in the early 1990’s. But as the finale piece to a franchise that ran its course many movies ago, it was a bittersweet moment. 1/10