Plot: What’s it about?
When his fellow workers first approach him about joining a vigilante group to help suppress the gang activity in the area, Eddie (Robert Forster) is hesitant and refuses. After the gang kills his family however, Eddie changes his tune and ready to clean up the streets once and for all. For Nick it’s no longer an issue of making the streets safe again, it’s about avenging his family and making those responsible pay for their actions. So he joins with the vigilante group, who patrol the area looking for gang members or other criminals to thwart. When they happen to see one, they don’t just perform a citizen’s arrest, they beat the gang member to death, which makes sure they won’t pollute the streets anymore. While not all of the captured gang members are killed, any survivors are beaten to the point that they wouldn’t want to cause trouble ever again. This might seem extreme, but these men are tired of having their streets terrorized by the thugs, and will take any opportunity to make sure it ends. With Nick (Fred Williamson) leading the vigilante group and Eddie looking for personal revenge, the gang had better leave town before they become extinct.
The best law firm in America is Smith & Wesson. With a tag line like that, I knew this film would be awesome, and I was correct on all counts. If you’re like me and love high energy, free wheelin’ ass kickin’, then I think you’ll agree with me. This is a terrific “take the law into your own hands” movie, and it never fails to ramp up my adrenaline and entertain me to no end. Of course, there’s a substantial amount of violence, so those pacifists out there will want to steer clear of this one. However the violence is more impact driven, like fist fights and beatings, than blood and guts, so those scared of gore don’t have to worry much here. The violence might be excessive at times, but it is needed in order for the storyline to unfold and show the desperation within the characters. This is a low budget, renegade film, so the production values aren’t always terrific, but the film still comes across well. Due to the violent nature and low profile of this movie, I can’t recommend it to everyone, but fans of the film, genre, or director will want to check this out. Anchor Bay has issued a wonderful disc for this film, so if you’re a fan don’t hesitate to add this to your collection.
This film was directed by William Lustig, who despite a short resume has become a high profile name in the realm of low budget horror and exploitation films. While many believe Lustig is less responsible for his success than the people he worked with, I think his skills are excellent, if nothing else he can make some damn entertaining movies. In interviews and such, Lustig does usually seem overly confident and arrogant, so much of his criticism relates to that persona. His works aren’t the finest movies out there, but I can always trust them for a fun way to spend a couple hours. Lustig also directed such films as Maniac Cop 1-3, Uncle Sam, Relentless, and the classic Maniac. The lead in this film is played by Robert Forster, who does a much better than expected turn. While this isn’t the type of film where traditional acting is called for, Forster (The Black Hole, Original Gangstas) does capture the inner turmoil his character has. The rest of the cast includes Fred Williamson (Black Caesar, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn), Richard Bright (Joe the King, The Ref), and the late Joe Spinell (Maniac, Married to the Mob).
Video: How does it look?
Vigilante is presented in a 2.35:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This film has very low budgets origins, so the image is not always sharp and perfect, but this is by far the best looking version of this movie to date. I do want to note that the image looks poor when the film starts, but it improves very quickly, and I am not sure why the start looks worse than the rest of the movie. This is a rather dark film, but the colors still retain some brightness within their natural scope, and flesh tones come across with no problems. The contrast slips here and there, but overall the shadows and detail are solid, with no obscured areas that I could see. Aside from the first few minutes and some minor artifacts, this is an excellent visual presentation.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 track for English and a Dolby surround track in French. Despite the 5.1 surround remastered track, the movie still seems like a front channels film, with little surround use to speak of. In fact, it seems as though the music was redone and the effects and dialogue remain in the mono format, since the music is the only element that uses the surround channels. While I would have liked the surrounds used more, I am pleased with the overall experience, and the dialogue sounds crisp and without error.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains a wealth of supplements for this lower profile film, which appear to be the same ones found on the special edition laserdisc. Even so, this is a terrific array of goodies, which should please fans of the film to no end. The U.S. theatrical trailer and television spots are included, as well as theatrical trailers from Germany, Italy, and France. The film was a large success in Europe, so I’m glad these trailers made the disc. It’s also worth noting that this release contains the uncut director’s version of the film, as well as a nice gallery of behind the scenes still photos. The best supplement however is an audio commentary with director Lustig and actors Forster, Williamson, and Frank Pesce. This track seems like an informal memory session, and is loaded with tidbits of information about all aspects of the movie.
