Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 9, 2023

J. Lee Thompson's "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by author and film historian Paul Talbot and vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

We have reviewed a couple of different releases of Death Wish 4: The Crackdown. For an in-depth review of the film, please see my colleague Casey Broadwater's review of MGM''s US release here. You can also see our review of Umbrella Entertainment's Australian release here.

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Death Wish 4: The Crackdown arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In 2018, we reviewed this Australian release, which presented Death Wish 4: The Crackdown and Death Wish 5: The Face of Death. Both films were sourced from old but good masters.

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown has a slightly dated but still quite pleasing organic appearance. For example, delineation and clarity are very pleasing, while depth is frequently very strong. Some of the darker indoor footage reveals light crashing, but there is still plenty of fine detail. The most impressive visuals are with close-ups that have plenty of natural light, but even the darker ones look very nice. The biggest strength of this master is the absence of digital corrections. This is the main reason why despite its age the overwhelming majority of the visuals are still quite attractive. Image stability is good. I did not see any distracting large cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Unlike the video, the audio does not reveal any signs of aging. On the contrary, it is very healthy, often revealing qualities that you may associate with freshly remastered tracks. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are excellent. Balance is very good, too. However, the limitations of the original soundtrack are such that despite the abundance of action footage dynamic intensity remains modest.

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose! The Making of the 'Death Wish' Films and Bronson's Loose Again!, delivers yet another wonderful commentary in which he offers a wealth of information about the production history of the fourth Death Wish film, some of the familiar and some of the new themes that are part of its narrative, the stylistic appearance of the film, the evolution of Charles Bronson's career, etc. Once again, Mr. Talbot's knowledge of everything Bronson was and did is exceptional.

• Theatrical Trailer - a vintage theatrical trailer for the film. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown is the weakest entry in the famous franchise. Charles Bronson does his thing, but the drama and the twists are way too predictable. While not a masterpiece, the final film is vastly superior. However, if you enjoy the Death Wish films, you should consider picking up this release because it comes with yet another terrific audio commentary by Paul Talbot, the ultimate authority on all things Bronson. RECOMMENDED.