Witchfinder-General-666 Review of Vigilante

Vigilante (1982)

A Vile Piece Of Trash That Glorifies Vigilantism - I Loved It!

[6/10 · 11 May 2008]

Mean-spirited vigilante exploitation cinema from the early 80s - you gotta love it. William Lustig, the director most famous for the gritty serial killer shocker "Maniac" (1980) and his "Maniac Cop" films, created a cult flick with this "Vigilante" (1983), a film that easily surpasses all the "Death Wish" sequels in political incorrectness and shamelessly legitimizes self administered-justice as the only possible way. The film is outrageous in its promotion of vigilantism - and this is exactly what makes it such great fun to watch! WARNING! BIG SPOILERS! When his co-workers found a vigilante group lead by his buddy Nick (blaxploitation icon Fred Williamson), Eddie Marino (Robert Foster) does not approve at first. His views change, however, when his wife is brutally assaulted and his child son killed by a ruthless gang. When the gang-leader Rico Melendez (Willie Colón) gets away with a suspended sentence, Eddie flips out in court, and is therefore sentenced to a month in the can. Coming out of jail, Eddie wants revenge, and his buddies are very willing to help... As said above, does not only legitimize vigilantism, it shamelessly promotes it. But it is exactly this film's vile premise that makes it so much fun to watch! After coming out of prison, Eddie Marino does not only take revenge on those who murdered his family. In the end he even blows up the judge (!), who gave the gang-leader a suspended sentence, in his car. The performances are above average for a film of the kind. Robert Foster is a great actor, and he fits very well in the lead here. I am a huge fan of blaxploitation badass Fred Williamson, whose mere presence makes any film worth watching as far as I am concerned, and Williamson once again rules supreme in his typical role of the tough and super-badass hero. The unbelievably ugly Joe Spinell, who impressed as the psychotic serial killer in "Maniac" has the role of a sleazy lawyer. The great Woody Strode also has a small role as a super-tough but kind-hearted prisoner who literally saves Eddie's ass in prison. The film wasn't quite as extreme in its depiction of violence as I expected, but it surpassed my expectations in its political incorrectness. As I mentioned before, the shameless promotion of vigilantism quite vile and at times hard to digest - but it is also so much fun to watch. Not a film to be taken seriously, but definitely highly recommended to my fellow exploitation enthusiasts!