Vigilante (1983)

Vigilante (1983)-* * * *

Directed by: William Lustig

Starring: Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, Joesph Carberry, Don Blakely, Carol Lynley, Willie Colon, Woody Strode, Steve James, Rutanya Alda, and Joe Spinell












Eddie Marino (Forster) is a blue-collar guy who goes to his factory job, then goes to the local dive bar with his friends (Nick, Burke, and Ramon - Williamson, Bright and Carberry, respectively), then comes home to his loving wife (Alda) and son. His simple life is interrupted when a vicious street gang led by the evil Rico (Colon) and Prago (Blakely) invade his home and assault his wife and son. Feeling defenseless against everyone from small-time drug pushers on up, Nick forms a vigilante group because the court system is a corrupt failure and isn’t protecting its citizens. Now crime is running wild so everyday citizens must stand up and fight. Eddie is initially resistant to the idea, but after seeing shyster lawyers like Eisenberg (Spinell) pull the rug out from under good-faith lawyers like his own, Mary Fletcher (Lynley), Eddie snaps and is sent to jail for contempt. It’s while he’s inside that he meets Rake (Strode)...but when he gets out, he decides to join Nick’s group after all and it’s then that the truth that he initially denied comes out: if you want justice, you have to do it yourself.

Why, oh why aren’t there more movies like Vigilante? We will never stop pining for them. Just about everything about Vigilante is awesome. From the second you see the font the opening credits are in, you know the movie is going to be good.  The cast is amazing: it’s one of Fred Williamson’s best - he puts a lot of energy into it and gets all the best lines. Plus he’s just so cool. There are moments when he breaks through the top of the coolness thermometer. Joe Spinell is perfectly cast as the sleazy lawyer. He has a small but integral role, as does Steve James. Come to think of it, same for Woody Strode. Robert Forster is always worth watching. Jay Chattaway’s music is superb and ties it all together.

Revenge movies are one of our favorite things to watch, and the gritty NYC locations of the 80’s are simply mesmerizing. The post-Death Wish (1974) cycle of The Exterminator (1980), Vigilante, and The Protector (1985), and, to a certain extent, Exterminator 2 (1984) give an excellent picture of the New York City of the day. It’s simply fascinating, not to mention addictive to watch - if you know any other movies like these, please write in a comment to suggest them!

The Anchor Bay DVD is excellent, with a beautiful widescreen transfer that looks great, and some nice extras. There’s not much more to say, really...for a great movie from a never-to-be-duplicated time period, with a top-notch cast that’s fast-paced and entertaining from start to finish, with a great message...Vigilante rules! What more could you want? If you haven’t already, just buy the DVD today!

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty

Also check out a review by our buddy, M. Brown from Two Dollar Cinema!

Hit List (1989)

Hit List (1989)-* * * *

Directed by: William Lustig

Starring: Jan-Michael Vincent, Leo Rossi, Rip Torn, Charles Napier, Ken Lerner, Frank Pesce, Junior Richard, and Lance Henriksen













Vic Luca (Torn) is a John Gotti-like mob boss who is going to be convicted in court - if his mob underlings can testify. But Luca sends a shoe salesman/psychopathic hit man, Caleek (Henriksen) to kill them so they can’t spill the beans. Purely by chance, Caleek invades the home of innocent man Jack Collins (Vincent), intent on killing him, believing him to be potential informant Frank DeSalvo (Rossi). DeSalvo is being protected before the trial by Tom Mitchum (Napier), an FBI agent on the edge, in a house across the street. When Caleek kidnaps Collins’ son and puts his wife in the hospital - and Luca’s goons cross DeSalvo as well - the two guys create an unlikely partnership to get revenge.

Why is this movie so under-appreciated and unrecognized? If you said to someone “Oh, I watched Hit List last night”, more than likely, they would say, “Huh?” That’s unfortunate, as a movie with the star quality this movie has, directed by William Lustig SHOULD be a well-known “video store classic” as we say. Maybe now that can start to be corrected.

Here we get to see Lance Henriksen as you really want to see him - in a very meaty role as an incredibly brutal bad guy. It’s truly “Lance Unleashed” as he has an evil beret and an evil crossbow/grappling hook/zipline, as well as some nasty martial arts moves.  Leo Rossi is also memorable as DeSalvo, a man who still believes in the codes of honor of the mafia - at least for a while. Vincent mainly just says “Gimme back my son” many times, which, of course, predates Ransom (1996). Rip Torn, who doesn’t often appear in movies like this, puts in an off-kilter, energetic role. Even Charles Napier gets to flex some muscle.

But, by far, the two best things about Hit List are 1. This movie is really politically incorrect - it was made in a time before PC stuff existed and it’s really beautiful to watch. Thank God things like this were preserved for posterity. and 2. the scene in the Photon arcade. (For those that don’t know, Photon was a competitor to Laser Tag, and in some places was replaced by Q-Zar, where kids run around with laser guns and shoot each other). Another awesome preservation.

In all, Hit List is an enjoyable film with a nice pace with a lot of familiar faces. What’s not to like?

Comeuppance Review by: Brett and Ty