Review: Vigilante

Average Joe blue collar worker Robert Forster doesn’t think too much about the vigilante talk of his co-workers Fred Williamson and former cop Richard Bright. They think the police and criminal justice system are completely useless as crime rates escalate in NYC. Then Forster’s wife (Rutanya Alda)  and son are attacked by street thugs (led by Willie Colon, with Don Blakely second-in-command), and the criminal justice system proves highly ineffective in dealing with said thugs. After the chief thug gets off, Forster lays into the corrupt judge (Vincent Beck) and gets sent to prison for his troubles. So tell us more about this vigilante justice thing, Mr. Williamson. Forster is all ears now. Carol Lynley plays a well-meaning but ineffectual assistant DA, Joe Spinell is the sleazy lawyer defending crims, Woody Strode a tough old prison inmate, Steve James an ineffectual cop who knows about the vigilante group and wants them to stop, and Frank Pesce plays a small-time crook who unwisely mouths off to Williamson.

 

Trashier than the better-known “Death Wish”, this 1982 exploitation vigilante offering from director William Lustig (The infamous sicko pic “Maniac”, the schlock classic “Maniac Cop”) and screenwriter  Richard Vetere (“The Third Miracle” with Ed Harris) probably isn’t any better or worse by the end of it. In other words, if you loved “Death Wish” and you like exploitation films, you’ll probably enjoy this. I wasn’t much of a fan of “Death Wish” (and especially not the sequels or the remake), and I’m similarly ‘meh’ on this film, though Robert Forster makes for a much more interesting and personable leading man than 70s-era Charles Bronson did.

 

What I liked here is that Forster is quite reticent originally to take up with the other vigilantes. I think Mr. Bronson took to killing just a tad too quickly, especially for a supposed architect. Yes, the transition to vigilante is still too rushed, but not quite as much here. I’m also glad that he targets the specific thugs who have wronged him, which is another plus over the first “Death Wish”. Unfortunately the street thugs are cartoony morons, like extras out of “The Warriors” or something heightened and comic book-esque. Lustig and screenwriter Vetere also massively stack the deck against Forster, which strains things just a tad on the credibility front even for something as low-aiming as a “Death Wish” rip-off. The actor playing the judge is especially ridiculous in this regard. More damagingly, the filmmaker’s sense of narrative structure and clarity are rather lacking throughout. It’s very, very sloppy and at times confusing. Lustig is far more prolific as a producer than a director and it seems he’s also far more proficient in the producer role, too. He does come up with the occasional decent shot at the helm though, and I think if he had been bothered, he could’ve made a bit better fist of this one.

 

Forster is fine, but the chief highlight here is an angry, impassioned performance by a surprisingly very committed Fred Williamson. The actor/filmmaker isn’t above paycheck-acting his way through a bunch of cheapies (especially the ones he directs and produces), but here he walks off with the whole film. Willie Colon and Don Blakely aren’t terribly threatening as the chief thugs, Rutanya Alda is horrendous as the victim, and Carol Lynley is a bit of a sad sight to see here spouting clichés dispassionately. On the plus side, Joe Spinell is perfectly cast, Richard Bright is effectively cast, and the late, underrated Steve James makes his every second count as an ineffectual cop. There’s also a genuinely funny, random bit where Frank Pesce (a frequent sight in the films of Lustig, Williamson, and Larry Cohen) knocks over a guy in a wheelchair during a chase. His subsequent ill-advised shit-talking to Williamson is also hilariously dumb. Poor Woody Strode looks tired, old, and unwell as a wise old prison inmate. However, he shows he’s still a tough bastard beating up the ginormous Sandy Alexander (apparently a real-life Hells Angel) in one scene. His presence here is amusing, if sloppily inserted into the film. Special mention must go to Jay Chattaway (“The Big Score”, “Missing in Action”, “The Silver Bullet”) for one of his better synth score jobs.

 

OK “Death Wish” rip-off with some decent moments here and there and a few good performances, Joe Spinell and Fred Williamson (one of his best turns) in particular. It’s more ‘fun’ than any of the “Death Wish” films, unfortunately it’s pretty shoddy at times, and the gang members are about as believable as the idiots from “Death Wish II” were. A mixed bag, but it has a decent cult following and is a bit better than most critics will tell you at least (It has an IMDb rating of 6 for fuck’s sake, so it must have a lot of fans out there). I just can’t quite recommend it though, I’m afraid because the director clearly only has money-making intentions. If Lustig had cared to, he could’ve made this film even better. Oh well.  

 

Rating: C+