Vigilante (1983)

Studio: Blue Underground
Release Date: September 16, 1983
Blu Ray Release: September 21, 2010
Not Rated

Review by James Klein

If you love good ol’ 80’s exploitation at its grimiest and are a fan of the Death Wish films, look no further than 1983’s Vigilante. This low budget action/drama set in pre-Disneyfied NYC is a pure grindhouse treat. With plenty of action and violence, this is the kind of film you watch with the guys while drinking a few brewskies.

Robert Forester stars as Eddie, a family man who works in a factory and keeps his nose clean. His other co-workers and friends have formed an underground vigilante group who go out at night and clean up the streets on their own time since the police do nothing about it. Even though he agrees that the neighborhood is getting worse, Eddie refuses to be a part of their group. That is, until he comes home to find his wife stabbed and his son blown apart by a shotgun blast through a window. One of the gang members is caught but thanks to a corrupt judge and a sleazy defense lawyer (played by the late Joe Spinell) the punk is let go and Eddie’s outburst causes him to be thrown in jail. While in jail, Eddie must fight off attempted rapes and beatings. When he is released, the only thing on his mind is revenge.

The film is at times preposterous and the low budget does indeed make the film look and feel overly cheap but under the direction of William Lustig, the film works. Forester has always been an underrated actor and does quite well as the tormented Eddie. The cast is filled with other great genre favorites like Spinell, Fred Williamson, Rutanya Alda, Carol Lynley, Frank Pesce, Woody Strode, and Steve James. The movie is also loaded with plenty of action and violence which give the film a much more fast-paced feel. Lustig builds up a lot of suspense with these scenes too, making the 90 minute running time fly by.

Seeing the film for the first time on VHS tape years ago, the Blue Underground’s blu ray is amazing and the detail and colors have never looked so clear (and being shot in NYC, so dirty and gross). There is also a great audio commentary track with Lustig and Forester and some other goodies in the special features department for fans to enjoy. Vigilante may be another Death Wish knock off that may seem dated and silly at times but it’s action-packed from beginning to end and downright fun.