Turn The Other Cheek to "Vigilante."

The 1983 film, “Vigilante” is exactly what you might expect with that title. Robert Forster plays Eddie Marino, a man whose wife and child are killed by a gang of street thugs. A group of citizens who are sick and tired of street violence and police indifference to said violence acts alone in cleaning the streets. This group is led by the great Fred Williamson, a veteran of many exploitation films, including several of the Italian variety, including the awesome, “1990: The Bronx Warriors.” After the man accused of killing Eddie Marino’s wife and child is sentenced to a mere two years in prison, Marino expresses his frustration about the justice system in the courtroom and is convicted to one month in prison for his outburst. During his one month in prison, Marino gets roughed up and is befriended by a fellow prisoner played by the older, but still physically impressive Rake (Woody Strode). One of the coolest scenes in the film involves Rake, so watch out for it. After Marino is released from prison, he is ready,with the help of Nick (Fred Williamson) and his group to kick some ass. If you go into this film ready to watch some ass-kicking, you will be pleased with the result, however, to my surprise, there was not as much ass-kicking as I thought there might be. The film is a bit more subdued than I thought. This works to the film’s advantage as it does not focus on the violence, either of the gang members/thugs or of the vigilante group. The story focuses more on what was perceived at the time as indifference and inaction of big city police departments to respond to violent crime. The inaction of the police in the film is the catalyst for all of the unfortunate things that happen to Marino’s family.

I liked Robert Forster’s quiet, subdued performance as Marino. I also enjoyed Fred Williamson’s performance as the no-nonsense leader of the citizen vigilante group who helps Forster enact his revenge. “Vigilante” is a very straight-forward film. It does not waste time with any extraneous elements. There are no subplots involving a love triangle, a romantic backstory, or anything else that would derail the action. One does not usually begin watching the dvd of such films wanting to be embroiled in a tired story of failed romance. One thing “Vigilante” does well, however, it was probably not by design, though it may have been, was to make the audience understand the gravity of what has happened to Marino’s family without beating the audience over the head with extra scenes of the family having a great time or showing how cutesy the child is at being cute. These kinds of scenes are usually unnecessary and are often present in weak scripts. The audience does not need to be reminded of the cuteness of the child to be enraged at the fact that street vermin has committed murder. There is one scene that introduces Marino and his wife and child to the audience. They are at a park playing. They are having fun and Marino loves his wife. The scene is brief and the point is made. That is all that is needed. The poster for "Vigilante" is a tad misleading, as it leads one to believe that the focus of the film is a street gang. This is not the case. The focus of the film, as you have, by now, gathered, is the story of Eddie Marino and his desire for justice. I am not a big revenge movie fan, however, when made well, such as is the case with “Vigilante,” they can be quite rousing. Another revenge film which is very exciting is the recent Liam Neeson film, “Taken.” “Taken” is fantastic and never stops for any superfluous bullshit. Nor does “Vigilante.” William Lustig (“Maniac,” “Maniac Cop”) directs “Vigilante” with fast-moving precision, while, in the quick pace of the film, allows for the story to unfold coherently and allows for sympathy to be gained for the character of Marino. Seek out the dvd of “Vigilante” and turn both cheeks towards it.