It is practically impossible to list all the vigilante/personal vendetta action movies that were released during the 1970s and 1980s, following the tremendous success of the original "Death Wish". What I can make is a sort of distinction between them, though. In my (non-scientifically substantiated and modestly amateurish) opinion, there are two good categories of "vigilante" thrillers. One category contains reasonably well-produced and famous quality films that delve deeper into the drama elements and dwell longer on the personal suffering of the victims. Examples include "Vigilante", "Fighting Back", "the Principal", "Self Defense", etc. The other category consists of cheaply made and unpretentious action movies. No time is spent mourning victims here because that means less time for gratuitous violence, unnecessary nudity, and hopelessly exaggerated firepower. They are often far less known but worshiped by fans of raw exploitation cinema; - like me! Glorious highlights in this category are "The Exterminator", "Death Wish III", "The Punisher", "Blood Debts", "Executioner Part II", and this obscure late 80s gem called "Ghetto Blaster".
Alan Stewart's film still starts out rather heavy-toned and dramatic, with a written message and the death of a 12-year-old girl in a drive-by shooting, but then goes for pure exploitation kicks. Travis, with his adult daughter Lisa, returns to his parental house in the LA suburbs, but promptly notices the neighborhood has been taken over by a street gang named "The Hammers". They terrorize pedestrians, extort local shop-owners (including Travis' father), and torch innocent people and their cats. Since the police does nothing, Travis feels obliged to take the law into his own hands.
"Ghetto Blaster" works effectively because Richard Hatch is a likeable action hero, and because numerous sequences are overflowing with fun and a vivid imagination. Travis isn't too muscular, and he doesn't have a warehouse full of artillery, so he improvises like by dressing up like a clown to ruin a cocaine deal. The typically late 80s electro-soundtrack, romance sub plot, and vigilante-compilation are horrendous, but everything else is good fun. Recommended for undemanding 80s trash & exploitation lovers!
