Vigilante

Just watched this and I think this is an underrated movie. The cast is pretty good and the usual revenge story turns into a pretty well execution. On the other hand some plot holes or weird decisions of some characters. But overall a good revenge flick.

First off, yes, 'Vigilante' does bear some superficial resemblances to 'Death Wish'. But in other ways it is a different kind of animal, tougher, more realistic and believable. Directed by William Lustig in between his trash classic 'Maniac' and 'Maniac Cop', the movie greatly benefits from the strong performances of Robert Forster ('Medium Cool', 'Jackie Brown') and Fred Williamson ('Black Caesar'), two actors who unfortunately have generally been wasted in dull action movies and awful straight to video dreck. Forster displays dignity and depth of character as a working class Joe pushed to his limit, and Fred Williamson gives possibly his most impressive performance ever, as his buddy who shows him a way to get closure. Both Forster and Williamson are supported by an above average cast of character actors including Richard Bright and Joe Spinell (both of 'The Godfather' as well as countless other roles), and veteran Woody Strode. This is a lean, mean and nasty revenge thriller worth tracking down.

Vigilante is a gritty, violent, and controversial revenge flick. Vigilante gets compared to Death Wish often, but vigilante is the more fulfilling and entertaining film. Robert Forster stars as a father and husband who gets driven to the point of vigilantism after his son is killed and his wife deformed. Forster performance is deep and fascinating. Director William Lustig (who also directed the trashy and gory Maniac) adds a sense of realism and desperation to the film and the violence seems very authentic. Fred Williamson is GREAT as the leader of the nieghborhood vigilante group. The son's death is quite disturbing and the ending is satisfying (unlike the death wish ending). You really hate the criminal scumbags and cheer on their demise. There are some great one-liners too. Vigilante is the ultimate revenge exploitation flick.

If like me you are an avid fan of sleazy and grubby looking flicks packed with sleazy and grubby looking characters, filmed in sleazy and grubby looking locations then this is the film for you. The film is essentially a revenge thriller, which tips an over sized Barbisio hat to the Italian Euro-Crime flicks of the 1970s: A bitter protagonist; middle-aged hoodlums(who should know better at their age); corrupt judges; a car chase(or three); clichéd dialogue; mindless- slaughter, and Fred "That Man Bolt" Williamson. The film stars Robert Forster playing an unremarkable factory worker whose life is suddenly beset by an inconceivable tragedy and (without giving too much of the plot away) he finds himself requiring little encouragement in joining a group of vigilantes led by his co-workers Williamson and two other colleagues. The film certainly doesn't pull any punches with the protagonists dispensing some reasonable savagery on any wrongdoers along the way. Some class acting from Forster and Williamson keeps the viewer interested throughout and the climactic fight scene at towards the end of the film, wouldn't look out of place in an Enzo Castellari or Umberto Lenzi flick. This is a well paced, well acted and thoroughly engrossing '80s exploitation film, with a compelling soundtrack and a nice little cameo from Italian director's favourite Woody Strode.

Watch at (almost) all costs!

Directed by William Lustig (of Maniac fame), this thriller is quite good. Fred Williamson is magnificent as the leader of a group of vigilantes, and Jackie Brown star Robert Forster also stars. The version i watched suffered badly from a 'pan-and-scan' transfer, which is a shame because the movie is quite well made. Loads of running about, shooting and vengeance for dead family members. Seems run of the mill now, but worth watching none the less.

Released in the UK on Intervision Video