Vigilante

Is there anything more cinematically gratifying than seeing a pack of rabid, sadistic street punks getting exactly what they deserve on the alter of vigilante street justice? Probably, but I doubt many will argue the viscerally animalistic appeal of seeing some particular heinous thugs getting their heads handed to them vigilante style...which brings me to this film, Vigilante (1983), a relative late comer in the genre (who many believe started off with the very popular 1974 film Death Wish, starring Charles Bronson). Co-produced and directed by William Lustig (Maniac, Maniac Cop), who, incidentally, worked as an apprentice editor on the film Death Wish, Vigilante stars Robert Forster (Alligator, Jackie Brown) and exploitation film veteran Fred `The Hammer' Williamson (Mr. Mean, 1990: The Bronx Warriors). Also appearing is Rutanya Alda (The Deer Hunter), Richard Bright (The Godfather: Part III), Don Blakely (Brubaker), Joe Spinell (Forbidden Zone, Maniac), Carol Lynley (The Poseidon Adventure), Frank Pesce (Midnight Run), Steve James (The Exterminator), and legendary actor Woody Strode (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), who was pushing 70 at the time this movie was made, and looked about as fit as most men half his age.As the film, touted as the `unrated director's cut', begins we see Fred Williamson's character (later we learn his name is Nick), laying it down for a group of people (and the audience) about how punks have taken over the streets. One gets a sense that he's `mad as hell, and he's not going to take it anymore'..."If you want your city back, you gotta take it! Dig it?!" Next we witness a woman suffering an attack as she returns home to her apartment building, then later we see the same thug on a street corner bragging about how lame the `system' is and how he'll never do any real time, which is about when Nick and a couple of other fellow pull up in a boogie van, unceremoniously snatch the perpetrator off the street (he was identified by a neighbor of the woman), and speed away (later we found out he got the beating, but good). After this we see scenes of Eddie Marino (Forrester), his wife Vickie, and their young son in a park, and they seem like a happy enough family, enjoying a modest existence...that is until a few days later when Vickie gets on the wrong side of some street punks, who end up following her home committing various acts of vile, unrestrained nastiness. The leader of the gang is caught and brought to trial, but due to criminally inept and corrupt system, the malicious mug gets off with probation, to which Eddie flies off the proverbial handle and gets himself thrown into jail under contempt of court charges (talk about adding insult to injury). Anyway, Eddie gets out, hooks up with Nick and his vigilante posse for some much needed retributory, skull-cracking violence and mayhem (it's so wrong, but it feels good).While there are some very striking similarities to the film Death Wish, Vigilante, which was shot on location in New York, giving it a gritty sense of authenticity, surpasses that film in the aspect of graphic violence, but is it better? Hard for me to say, but it is just as enjoyable, despite a few perceived flaws. Robert Forrester presents a strong character, but he didn't seem all that put out after his family was brutalized...perhaps this is how is was meant to be, as he virtually exploded in court when the gang leader got off with a slap on the bum...still, it seemed odd, the lack of emotion give what happened (maybe it was a state of shock). It is interesting to watch his nearly unbelievably naïve character transform into a vengeance filled, borderline psychotic in a relatively short period of time. As far as Williamson goes, well, his character is pretty much the same as just about anything I've seen him in...is that bad? Not really, as I suppose a lot of that has to do with typecasting, but at least he's had plenty of opportunities to get it down, and can pound punks with the best of them. There are some great supporting roles especially from Joe Spinell, who plays the sleazy defense attorney (he has little screen time, but makes an impression), and Woody Strode, a convict who helps Eddie preserve the sanctity of his Hershey highway while in prison (there's a great sequence in here with Strode dishing out a serious hurting on two punks half his age). There's plenty of escalating violence in this film once things get moving, some of it quite graphic and visceral...there was even one scene this seriously desensitized viewer found quite shocking...I won't tell you which one (but if you've seen the film, you probably know what I'm talking about. The story bounces back and forth between the characters of Eddie and Nick, basically two sides of the coin, until Eddie realizes the only way he's going to get what he wants is through Nick's hands on approach to dealing with street crime. There's some superficial claptrap about the morality of street justice, but I hardly thought the film was interested in getting hot and heavy on the philosophical aspects, especially in terms of how the poorly legal system was portrayed (lazy, ineffectual, corrupt), its inclusion more related to something to drive the plot, rather than a focal point within the film...by the way, that trial was a complete joke, and that prosecutor, played by Ms. Lynley, was about the most useless I've ever seen...no wonder the gang leader, who had 22 prior arrests, had never been convicted...oh, she'd say it was because witnesses were too intimidated to come forth, but if that were true, the case would've never gone to trial in the first place as there wouldn't have been enough evidence (I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on TV)...I suppose if the judges were corrupt, she could make an argument for her inability to actually prosecute criminals, but watching her in the courtroom I got the sense she was just really sucky at her job. Overall the story is slightly uneven and a little superficial, but the pacing is tight and the film doesn't wear out its welcome keeping a lean running time (just under 90 minutes, but it felt shorter). The ending felt odd and abrupt, and left a few questions unanswered...I couldn't help feel that perhaps this was the intent, but then I wonder if I'm giving the story more credit in that aspect than it deserves as it tended to simplify a number of elements within the storyline, going for the easy, stereotypical view (especially of the lackadaisical justice system), rather than delving into the real issues that result in perceived injustices (or is it injusti? I can't recall).Anchor Bay Entertainment provides an excellent widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16X9 TVs, picture on this DVD, along with better than expected audio, available in Dolby Digital Surround 2.0 or Dolby Digital 6.1 DTS: ES. Special features are numerous including a commentary track with director Lustig, and actors Robert Forrester, Fred Williamson, and Frank Pesce. Also included are 7 theatrical trailers (including international ones), 4 radio spots, 4 TV spots, a promotional reel used to help initially finance the film, a still gallery, and 5X7 reproduction of the original theatrical poster art. All in all, a superior release of a decent film.Cookieman108

I won't spoil this on everyone who hasn't still seen this. Trust me it's definitely a excellent vigilante film probably next to Death Wish from Charles Bronson and a blaxploitation actor from Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. And Robert Forster (Emergency!) had a good role. I think they make a lot of these type of films in 80's because the system failed to give families justice from a loss. Justice is blind and it still is to this day. There are a lot crook judges and juries. And some police officers are too. Great film. Highly recommended.

I was suprised how much i liked it. I think it was good. I think Fred Williamson was very good and the bestcharacter in the film. He got charisma. He had several lines in the film which i liked. When he said "Save somefor me, Burke", i couldn`t help but to smile. I must say i liked that dark Synthesizer music that was used togreat effect. This was a good purchase.Picture Quality: 4.5/5I was impressed with the picture quality, which i think was pretty sharp and detailed. The colours and suchlooked clear and strong on my flat screen. I satisfied with it. I didn`t notice any use of noise reduction, which iwas glad i didn`t see.Audio Quality: 4/5I was less impressed by the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. I think the some of the gunshot effects could have hadmore bass. Like for example when Fred used a shotgun. It didn`t have a lot of bass. Strange thing, when heused a somekind of Revolver, it had more bass than that shotgun!. Hm. Also one other problem i had with thisaudio track, was that i feel the music was mixed too loud and the dialog too low. I often had to turn the volumedown when i heard the music. When there was dialog scenes i had to turn the volume up.I think people doing this remix should have corrected these problems. I did find it annoying. The music soundedpretty good and clear in the Center speaker. I heard some good bass coming from my subwoofer when theSynthesizer music was used. The Rear speakers was mostly used for good effect, like for example, i heard: ofcourse music there, gunshots, people in prison shouting and cars crashing. So, i think the people in charge ofmaking this audio track could have done a better job. Except for the problems i mentioned, i think it was good,but not very good.Film: 4/5Overall: 4/5

I remember seeing this movie while I was in middle school loved it

Released in 1982, this film certainly takes a bleak and pessimistic tone towards rampant crime and law enforcement's lack of effectiveness in modern-day America. Its very similar to "Death Wish" in tone and follows the plot of that film in many ways. Its about a small group of vigilantes who take the law into their own hands and exact extreme punishment on the criminals terrorizing their neighborhood. When one of their friends loses his wife and child at the hands of a group of thugs, he enlists their help in getting revenge after the courts fair to punish the punks for destroying his life and family. The criminals are suitably nasty and deserve the punishment that they get as they find themselves victimized by the gang of vigilantes. There is a lost of violence and gore as you would expect from a film directed by William Lustig. Plus, it stars the totally superbad Fred Williamson who plays one of the vigilantes. I give it four stars because it is certainly a good film but overall lacks the punch and originality of "Death Wish".

Eddie Marino is your average blue-collar factory worker in New York City. He's aware that some of his co-workers have formed a vigilante group, as they're sick and tired of the streets they love being taken over by scum, and of course the police don't do a thing to clean it up. Eddie has a wife and young son, when his wife slaps the leader of a Puerto Rican street gang after they assault a gas attendant, the gang show up at Marino's house. They break in and kill Eddie's son and leave his wife for dead, Eddie arrives home from work and is told to go and see the District Attorney. Eddie is soon in court trying to put the leader of the gang behind bars for life, but the corrupt system means that Melendez, the leader of the gang is only given a two year suspended sentence. Understandably upset, Eddie loses his temper and tries to attack the Judge and it's Eddie that ends up in jail for thirty days. In prison, Eddie befriends an inmate named Rake who saves him from getting raped in the showers, once Eddie is released he immediately finds his co-worker, Nick, and asks the vigilante group for their help as he looks to get revenge on the gang and corrupt officials.Robert Forster is great as Eddie Marino. Tony Musante was originally cast but had to drop out, Forster was then offered the role as William Lustig remembered his performance in Alligator. It was apparently Forster's performance in this film that got him the role of Max Cherry in Jackie Brown. As good as Forster is, it's Fred "The Hammer" Williamson that steals the show as Nick, Eddie's co-worker and leader of the vigilante gang. Standing at six foot and three inches, the former American football star is intimidating and unbelievably charismatic. He rose to fame in the '70s as the star of several excellent blaxploitation films and later went on to appear in several European exploitation films, Vigilante is one of his best roles and he gets most of the film's best lines. Joe Spinell who was previously the leading man in Lustig's vicious 1980 film, Maniac, is a little underused as Melendez's corrupt lawyer. His alcohol and drug addictions were spiralling out of control by the time Vigilante was made, and it was hard enough getting him to film the small role he has. Woody Strode, another former American football star puts in a very good but short performance as Rake, he'll be very well known to western fans. Vigilante is wonderfully directed by the underrated William Lustig, and I personally feel that this is his best work. He previously directed the sleazy Maniac, and later directed Maniac Cop and its two sequels, he also made a very good film with Judd Nelson called Relentless. He directed the very silly but very fun Uncle Sam in '96, that was his last film as director as he started Blue Underground, a DVD and Blu-ray label that specialises in releasing cult classics in the best possible version.Vigilante is sometimes called a Death Wish knock-off, but as much as I like Death Wish, I personally feel that Vigilante is the better film. Vigilante seems more real and brutal, and unlike Bronson in the Death Wish films, they don't really seem to enjoy killing these punks, they're just doing what needs to be done. It's fair to say that Vigilante is a very violent film, the murder of Marino's son is horrific and really sets the tone for the rest of the film. There's plenty of blood and guts and it feels more like the gritty violent thrillers from Italy like Street Law and Contraband rather than Death Wish. The New York setting is cold and bleak, a perfect setting for the violence. There's an exciting ten minute car chase which is superbly handled, and a huge mention has to go to the music score which is absolutely sublime.The Blu-ray from Blue Underground looks fantastic, there's far more detail than I expected and some of the colours really pop. Just ten years or so ago it was hard enough to find a watchable copy of a lot of exploitation films, it's amazing that we now have access to these classics and they look as good as films shot today. Vigilante is presented beautifully in widescreen, the disc is region free so will play on any UK Blu-ray player. The audio options are 7.1 DTS-HD or 5.1 Dolby digital, it can also be watched in French, German and Italian. English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are available. There's two commentary tracks, the first is with Lustig and co-producer Andrew W. Garroni, the second track is Lustig with Forster, Williamson and Frank Pesce. The first track is quite informative, the second is absolutely hilarious at times, especially the comments from Williamson and Pesce. Finally there are theatrical trailers, tv spots, radio spot, promotional reel and still gallery.Vigilante is a great film that all fans of exploitation cinema should have in their collection, and the Blu-ray is just as impressive as the film itself. Any fan of Death Wish should love it, it's sleazier, more brutal and a whole lot more fun. I highly recommend this film.

Oh my what a film. Exploitation, violence in downtown New York, a family torn apart, muggings, shootings, politicans as drug ring leaders, a near ten minute car chase, more muggings, more shootings, pimps, gore, Fred Williamson, Robert Forster, Joe Spinell (underused), a brutal messed up gang and a barnstorming soundtrack from yesteryear- Vigilante is supreme, it is fantastic, its gritty, horrible, nasty and a joy to watch.Williamson stands out in perhaps his best role as the leader of a vigilante group who are fed up with crime in the big apple. William Lustig directs very well. Its the type of film you will own and have a smile plastered on your face and be proud to say that not too many people know about this little gem, which is in fact a crime of its own.What a movie! If you love violent exploitation movies with a very subtle comedy overtone this is an essential purchase, I loved every 89 mins of it.Go get it!

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 oversized Barbisio hat to the Italian Euro-Crime flicks of the 1970s: A bitter protaganist; middle-aged hoodlums(who should know better at their age); corrupt judges; a car chase(or three); cliched dialogue; mindless-slaughter and Fred "That Man Bolt" Williamson.The film stars Robert Forster playing a factory worker whose life is beset by inconceivable tragedy and not suprisingly, is easily persuaded into joining a group of vigilantes led by (his co-workers)Williamson and two others. Lots of unnecessary savagery is carried out on any wrong-doers along the way, culminating in a climactic fight scene that wouldn't look out of place in an Enzo Castellari or Umberto Lenzi flick.Still, it's 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!

Not seen this film for a number of years and only just watched the Blu Ray again. It’s an enjoyable little ‘non PC’ movie. If you liked Deathwish, Dirty Harry and the Exterminator then this one should be for you. Fred Williamson and Robert Forster are both great and are the bad-ass vigilantes fighting off the New York scum, street punks and hoodlums. Great stuff! 👍🥊💥

Good movieA hidden gemReminded me abit like the warriorsPackaged wellFast delivery service