Meets the Warriors? Or something along those lines. But you know you're watching a low budget 70s or 80s movie when you can tell they didn't have any permits to shoot whereever they put a camera and some actors. If you've seen a few you'll know what I mean, if not just listen to the audio commentaries of some of those movies.
And don't get me wrong, while this obviously is (was) against the law, it makes the movie endearing (not to mention that some will cherish the rebellious nature of it all). Having said all that, the story is not really serving us anything new. But the actors involved really give it their all - and you have quite some heavyweights in here. I watched this a couple of days after Robert Foster passed away (right after El Camino too sort of). His screen presence is quite something to behold. Add to that all the other actors (including the "Maniac" himself and Fred Williamson) ... a raw gem with a lot flaws then. Enjoy it for what it is
Vigilante
1982
Action / Crime / Thriller
Vigilante
1982
Action / Crime / Thriller
Plot summary
Eddie Marino is a factory worker in New York City. He has a wife named Vickie and a son named Scott. Eddie's friend and co-worker Nick and some of the factory's other workers have formed a vigilante group because Nick and the group are fed up with the pimps, gangs, and drug dealers who keep taking over the neighborhoods. Nick and his group are also sick and tired of the police, because the police always fail to protect people who become victims. Eddie goes home from work one night, only to discover that Vickie has been stabbed, and Scott has been shot dead. Frederico "Rico" Melendez, the leader of a Puerto Rican street gang, is arrested for Vickie's stabbing and Scott's murder. Assistant District Attorney Mary Fletcher plans to put Rico away for as long as possible, since New York doesn't have the death penalty. Nick tries to convince Eddie to join the vigilante group, but Eddie turns Nick down, preferring to let the courts handle Rico. Nick makes it clear that he has no faith whatsoever in the police and the judicial system. The case against Rico doesn't make it past the arraignment. Corrupt judge Sinclair sets Rico free with a two year suspended sentence. Eddie goes crazy and tries to strangle judge Sinclair, who sentences Eddie to spend 30 days in jail for that. It was Rico's right hand man, Prago, who had fired the shot that killed Scott while Rico stabbed Vickie. Prago also paid judge Sinclair to set Rico free. In jail, Eddie befriends an inmate named Rake. As soon as Eddie is released from jail, he changes his mind about Nick's vigilante group. Eddie joins the group so he can go after Rico, Prago and judge Sinclair.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
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Death Vigilante Wish
Vigilante
Vigilante is a Death Wish rip off by exploitation director William Lustig.
It is another slice of early 1980s New York City where crime and hoodlums are on every corner.
Nick (Fred Williamson) is blue collar factory worker who has a team of vigilantes that takes the fight to the criminals who get away from the law.
Eddie Marino (Robert Forster) is Nick's co-worker whose wife is badly injured and his son is killed when some hoodlums invade their home.
Eddie spurns Nick's offer of help. Preferring to rely on the criminal justice system. Eddie sees one of the gang walk away with a suspended sentence.
When Eddie angrily complains to judge, he ends up in jail for 30 days. Once out, he teams up with Eddie to go and get the gang that killed his boy.
This is a gritty exploitation film of the era. The story zig zags all over the place.
Either the focus should had been on Eddie taking on the gang or Nick and his cohorts taking on the scum in the neighbourhood and eventually the big boss.
There is a nice car chase scene that was inspired by The French Connection but the rest of the movie is forgettable.
Pretty entertaining with bloody shootouts and a pre parkour era foot chase.
I saw this for the first time recently n was pleasantly surprised. It is a good entertaining movie with a solid director n solid star cast. The film has bloody shootouts, a chase sequence much before the parkour craze, a car chase sequence, prison rape threats and a courtroom scene portraying the decay of the legal system. Law Abiding Citizen borrowed a lil bit from this movie too, the other one being Max Sydow's Night Visitor.