Death Kiss

There are some movies that will always be iconic, no matter how many years go by. Certain films can grow really old, and never changes the level of quality. Just look at The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, and i guarantee that most people will agree that these films will never grow too old. These films both had really solid acting, and a very interesting story to tell about the Corleone family, as we follow their lives as gangsters. The third film is not bad, but nowhere near as good as the previous films. The Godfather Trilogy is a must own collection on DVD or Blu Ray. Then we have old school action films that even until this day works much better than most action releases. There are a number of titles i could mention right now, but let´s focus on one specific film from 1974. One film that was actually controversial during the 70´s for the raw violence. The action movie Death Wish from director Michael Winner. The film tells the story of family man Paul Kersey, played by legendary actor Charles Bronson ( who made some really classic films such as Red Sun and Chato´s Land ), revenge the murder of his wife and raped daughter. Death Wish will always be one of the biggest Charles Bronson classics, and is in my opinion one of the better action films of the 70´s. It may not be the best Bronson film in his long career, but definitely one of his classics. When the sequel Death Wish 2 arrived, the concept still worked but you could tell that it did not match up to the same quality level as the first film. There were more sequels relesed of Death Wish, but it was becoming clear that the franchise have lost it´s magic. The first Death Wish film will always be a cult classic and a film that will be appreciated in many generations across the world. A couple of months ago, i came across a trailer on a new film called Death Kiss. The first thing that i noticed was that actor Robert Bronzi looked just like legendary actor Charles Bronson ( who we unfortunately lost in 2003 ). And i have seen pretty much all the classics with Charles Bronson, and love many of his iconic films. The concept of the film Death Kiss, looked almost like a Death Wish movie. With such a fun combination, i just had to see Death Kiss to see if this would be a worthy throwback to the classic days of Charles Bronson magic. Do we finally have an action film that should be seen by a larger audience, or is Death Kiss a desperate try to make money out of a classic concept ?

A vigilante with no name, only known as The Stranger ( Robert Kovacs ) lives his life to end the lives of criminals, cleaning up the streets in his own way. He helps the young mother Ana ( Eva Hamilton ) and her disabled daughter, sending them money. Ana have no idea where the money is coming from, but eventually meet him as he drops of another envelope of cash. The Stranger leave no answers, just that she should take the money. Criminal Tyrell ( Richard Tyson ) was shot by The Stranger, and he plans to end his life eventually. But it becomes very clear, The Stranger is not finished yet, he have more criminals to execute.

To see a Charles Bronson tribute in 2018, is something i never expected to see. But this is clearly what Death Kiss proves, that you can make a worthy tribute to the legendary actor. This film manage to capture the style of Death Wish, with even more brutality than the classic Death Wish concept. The bullet holes in the bodies are bigger, blood is flushing out, and the bad guys are executed right on spot. Is it a classic like Death Wish ? No, but that is ok. Just to see that there are still film makers who want to make films like this, gives me joy in my heart. The VHS video violence have always meant a lot to me, renting very brutal titles was the good start of my teenage years. Death Kiss is in no way original, but that is completely fine. This is a throwback to what fun films used to be like during the 70´s and 80´s. Actor Robert " Bronzi " Kovacs who looks exactly like Charles Bronson, is perfect as the lead character The Stranger. He shoots down criminals, and take justice into his own hands, just like Charles Bronson did in Death Wish. The best part of Death Kiss is to see The Stranger shoot down criminals, and execute them. This is where the real moments shine throughout the film, and Bronzi is really good as The Stranger. I also enjoy the radio host Daniel Forthright played by Daniel Baldwin. This is actually one of the best acting performances i have seen Daniel Baldwin do for many years, and i have seen a lot of his movies ( except for a few titles ). Eva Hamilton as the young mother Ana is also a great character. Actor Richard Tyson ( known from Kindergarten Cop ) also does a worthy performance as the bad guy Tyrell. The only negative i can say is that some of the dramatic scenes feel a bit drawn out. They don´t work as effective as you would have hoped for. Director Rene Perez have directed a lot of B movies, especially in the horror category. I have not seen many of his films, but i have to say that he have made a nice tribute to old school action films with Death Kiss. That he managed to do a rip off from Death Wish, and still do it respectfully is a great achievement. I really hope people will support this film by watching it on VOD, or rent it on DVD ( or even buy the DVD ), so we can get a sequel. I would love to see what a sequel could do, and to see Kovacs return as the bad ass Stranger. If you loved Death Wish with Charles Bronson, you have to check out Death Kiss. This is a fun tribute to the golden days of VHS nostalgia with classic influences.

Rating: DDD