For a while--up until the film meets its absurd climax in a roller rink--"Death Wish 4" is a fairly entertaining rebound from the abysmal third installment in the series, primarily because director J. Lee Thompson (who also collaborated with Bronson on "10 to Midnight") keeps the action moving at a tight clip, and the story--while derivative and straightforward--is a somewhat intriguing departure from the norm. Paul Kersey is going on Attempt #4 in his efforts to lead a normal life, but is thwarted when his girlfriend's daughter dies from an overdose; after killing the pusher who sold her the drugs, Kersey is drafted by a Los Angeles millionaire to wipe out two gangs of drug traffickers. From a reality standpoint, this plot is no more ridiculous than Harrison Ford taking on the cartels in "Clear and Present Danger." As in other films, director Thompson isn't interested in exploring the nature of victimhood more than eye-for-an-eye justice hammered down on the stereotypical villains of society, and his Right-wing political ambitions somewhat obscure the low-grade thrill of the movie. To its credit, "Death Wish 4" has a strong first hour, some eccentric supporting performances of varying quality (George Dickerson, from "Blue Velvet," acts like a boy afraid to board a school bus), and a third-act twist that should have been obvious but caught me off guard. Bronson is fairly animated and brandishes heavy artillery as he blazes a path into the considerably better "Death Wish 5."