Critical response
Death Wish V was universally panned and holds a rare 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 5 critics. On Metacritic it has a score of 25 out of 100 based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.
Chris Willman of the Los Angeles Times criticized the film series' repeated recycling of the same basic plotline, and Charles Bronson's perceptible boredom with the Paul Kersey role, and said that even fans of the series would find this particular installment unbearably dull.
Stephen Holden of The New York Times remarked that Bronson "sounds terminally bored", and criticized the film for its sadistic violence.
Richard Harrington of The Washington Post said the film "looks and feels older than its original mold." He criticized that by this point Bronson was embarrassingly old for the part of an action hero, approaching 73 years old, at the time, and that the Death Wish plot had been done past the point of any interest.
Variety's Joe Leydon likewise said the film "finds both the character and the series looking mighty tired." Like Willman, he said that Bronson seemed bored with his role and that the film failed to provide any fresh twist to the Death Wish plotline. He further remarked that series fans would find it a major disappointment due to the low body count, slow pace, and general lack of excitement.
Candice Russell of the South Florida Sun Sentinel gave the film two out four stars. She criticized the amount of gore but also pointed out that "there is also a level of suspense and a plot involving an innocent child, qualities that make this grisly go-round more than a gore-fest." Her final consensus was "Death Wish V is better than fans of the previous sequels have a right to expect."
Sean P. Means of The Salt Lake Tribune gave it one star and said it was a "shoddy action flick that is a textbook case of non-entertainment." His final thoughts were "Death Wish V fosters its own death wish: the audience's fervent wish that this lame series would just curl up and die."
Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide gave the film a BOMB rating and said: "No plot, just a pretext: Bronson's fiancé is murdered on the orders of her mobster ex-husband Parks so (yawn) he turns vigilante yet again. Crude, stupid entry in this weary series, very badly directed, with an emphasis on torture."
