Death Wish 4: The Crackdown | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
Produced by | Pancho Kohner |
Screenplay by | Gail Morgan Hickman |
Based on | Characters by Brian Garfield |
Starring | |
Music by |
John Bisharat Paul McCallum Valentine McCallum |
Cinematography | Gideon Porath |
Edited by | Peter Lee-Thompson |
Production
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Distributed by | Cannon Film Distributors |
Release date
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Running time
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99 mins. |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $5 million |
Box office | $6,880,310 ($14,550,159 in 2016 dollars) |
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is an American 1987 action crime film, and the fourth installment in the Death Wish film series. The film was directed by J. Lee Thompson, and features Charles Bronson, who reprises his leading role as Paul Kersey. In the film, Kersey is once again forced to become a vigilante after his girlfriend's daughter dies of a drug overdose. He is recruited by tabloid owner Nathan White (John P. Ryan) to take down various crime figures of the Los Angeles drug trade.
Michael Winner, who directed the first three films in the series, was replaced by J. Lee Thompson. Death Wish 4: The Crackdown had a substantially lower budget and a more limited release than its predecessors. It was released in North America on November 6, 1987. The Bollywood film Mohra is an unofficial remake of the film. The movie marks the seventh collaboration between Bronson and director J. Lee Thompson (following 1976's St. Ives, 1977's The White Buffalo, 1980s Caboblanco, 1983's 10 to Midnight, 1984's The Evil That Men Do, and 1986's Murphy's Law).
Erica Sheldon (Dana Barron), the teenage daughter of Karen Sheldon (Kay Lenz), Paul Kersey's current girlfriend, goes with boyfriend Randy Viscovich (Jesse Dabson) to an arcade to meet up with a man named JoJo Ross (Héctor Mercado) and another buddy, Jesse Winters (Tim Russ). JoJo offers her crack cocaine, and Erica dies from an overdose. Having seen Erica accept a cigarette from Randy while in his car the previous night, Paul suspects Randy was involved with Erica's death, so he follows him to the arcade. Randy confronts JoJo and threatens to go to the police. JoJo murders Randy to prevent this. Paul promptly shoots JoJo, who falls onto the roof of the bumper-car ride and is fatally electrocuted.