Director William Lustig followed up his classic "Maniac" with this equally potent thriller. Robert Forster offers an interesting, low key portrayal of Eddie Marino, a blue collar guy whose wife and son are savagely attacked by loathsome punks. When Eddie realizes that he cannot rely on the "justice" system - including a crooked defense attorney ("Maniac" star Joe Spinell, in an amusing cameo) and an incompetent judge (Vincent Beck), he finally takes a friend, Nick (Fred "The Hammer" Williamson), up on his offer to help clean up the streets. The tone is set up very well right away, as The Hammer addresses us all and delivers a monologue bemoaning the level of crime and violence in the modern world. One can indeed see that he and his associates, Ramon (Joseph Carberry) and Burke (Richard Bright), himself a former cop, don't necessarily ENJOY what they do, but see it as being necessary, stressing the basic human right to not have to live in fear. And Lustig and company pull no punches when it comes to the depravity of our antagonists' crimes, not being afraid to cross the line of what might constitute good taste. At the very least, the movie is decent, reasonably gripping entertainment that explores that oft visited theme of what the average person is capable of doing once they've finally been pushed too far. As in "Maniac", the use of the various NYC locations is excellent, and there are some great chase sequences and scenes of strong violence. The widescreen photography (it's cool that this movie was shot in the Panavision aspect ratio) is impressive; the haunting and catchy main theme by composer Jay Chattaway may very well stick in the viewer's head a while after the movie has ended. The good supporting cast is also a big help, featuring such performers as Rutanya Alda as Eddie's wife Vickie, Don Blakely as despicable lowlife Prago, salsa music legend Willie Colon as gang leader Rico, Carol Lynley as the ineffective district attorney, the awesome Woody Strode as imposing convict Rake, Frank Pesce as drug dealing scum "Blueboy", Peter Savage (to whom the movie is dedicated) as big shot gangster Mr. Stokes, and busy 80's action movie regular Steve James as Patrolman Gibbons. (Keep an eye out for the walk on by Lustig as he exits an elevator.) The Hammer is especially fun to watch in one of his best ever roles; overall, "Vigilante" is good of its kind and packs a pretty mean punch. Seven out of 10.
Review of Vigilante
