Director: Michael Winner
Starring: Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin, Ed Lauter, Martin Balsam
Running Time: 90 minutes
Synopsis: Notorious vigilante Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) returns to New York City to visit a friend, only to find him near death after an assault by violent goons. Police Inspector Richard Shriker (Ed Lauter) coerces Kersey into cleaning up the derelict neighbourhood, where a gang led by Fraker (Gavan O'Herlihy) is terrorizing the remaining residents, including war veteran Bennett (Martin Balsam). Kersey gets to work confronting and killing villains and muggers, but taking down Fraker's gang will require a firepower upgrade.
What Works Well: The second sequel ditches any sense of cerebral internal conflict within Paul Kersey and adopts a less serious, high body count attitude packed with quotable quips. With Stallone and Schwarzenegger upping weaponry expectations, Kersey graduates to machine guns and rocket launchers, and the final 20 minutes transform a plastic set (London subbing for New York) into an explosives-filled war zone. Ed Lauter and Martin Balsam add gloss to the supporting cast, and Gavan O'Herlihy drips venom as the chief bad guy.
What Does Not Work As Well: Now in his mid-60s and showing it, Bronson is too old for this role, and the 32 year age difference with co-star and token love interest Deborah Raffin (as a public defender) just makes things worse. The ridiculous plot joins forces with hapless editing and uninspired directing to barely qualify for B-movie status, and the unrelenting levels of violence and brutality achieve self-defeating numbness.
Key Quote:
Kersey (to Shriker): It's like killing roaches - you have to kill 'em all. Otherwise, what's the use?
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