Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Vigilante Blu-ray Movie Review

Bill Lustig's dark and dingy Revenge picture gets the royal treatment on Blu-ray.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 17, 2010

You got a moral obligation, the right of self-preservation. Now you can run, you can hide, or you can start to live like human beings again.

Nothing gets the blood pumping and the base senses of survival, revenge, and justice all amped up quite like the Vigilante picture. Built around man's most primitive instincts of survival and protection of the family unit, Vigilante pictures offer something of a geel-good tenor in a macabre sort of way, for the genre, at its most basic level, serves as a release of sorts for audiences that recognize the oddly appealing sense of satisfaction that comes with watching a wronged but otherwise just and upright human being taking his revenge on the scum of the Earth. Still, these sorts of movies -- Death Wish, The Brave One, Harry Brown, and Bill Lustig's Vigilante -- don't glamorize the "eye for an eye" mentality to justice but instead put a dour, ugly face before the camera, the pictures lamenting the violence-begets-violence reality but recognizing the need for some kind of justice and applauding those who dole out their own brand of it when society fails them. The one truism that surrounds the genre is the almost unique oddity that allows viewers to revel in violence, to cheer on the deaths of others, and often in the most punishing and painful manners possible at that. Of course, movies like Vigilante frame that desire to see not just an eye for an eye, but an entire body for an eye, within the context of some absurdly brutal and heartbreaking premise, in this case the disgustingly violent murder of a young boy and a severe attack on an innocent mother and wife in a city that's falling apart at its very seams under a deluge of senseless violence.

I see a soon-to-be-dead person.

The city is losing its battle against the criminal element. The police are underpowered and unresponsive, citizens are scared, and the justice system has failed through increased corruption and the citizenry's fear of testifying in court and themselves becoming targets. Nick (Fred Williamson) encourages everyday people to take justice into their own hands. He practices what he preaches, tracking down the city's worst and making sure they'll never again break the law. When Nick's friend, Eddie Marino (Robert Forster), learns that his son has been murdered and his wife severely injured in a retaliatory attack after she intervened in a gas station robbery, he sets out to make sure the deranged criminal ring leader responsible for the violence, Rico Melendez (Willie Colón), is punished to the fullest extent of the law. Unfortunately, Rico's gang makes sure the defense is nicely compensated for manipulating the system, and Rico gets off with little more than a slap on the wrist while an understandably angry Eddie is sentenced for contempt of court. With Nick's help and influence, Eddie must choose his destiny and decide if he's capable of and interested in taking justice into his own hands.

Vigilante begins with a heart-racing, blood-pumping, stand-up-and-cheer monologue about the importance of self-preservation, justice, and fighting back in a crumbling world against a hardened, determined, and unafraid criminal element run amok in a city where the law has become but a guideline, the police ineffective, and the justice system corrupt. Unfortunately, the picture never again quite reaches that same level of excellence, but it tries and it certainly leaves its audiences feeling good for having made it through the gruel of the film's dark visuals, disgusting story developments, and generally grimy and helpless tone. Of course, it's that underlying uncomfortableness that makes Vigilante, and other pictures like it, so effective. Only in a world as inhospitably bleak, crime-infested, and morally bankrupt as this could audiences possibly cheer on the violent deaths of some of the world's worst criminals. These aren't guys who merely jaywalk, steal a candy bar, break the speed limit, or drive away from the pump without paying (well, OK, so that last one does happen in this movie. Fry 'em!). No, Vigilante goes above and beyond to make sure viewers will cheer on the deaths of those wrongdoers who destroy a family and manipulate the justice system. Director Bill Lustig (Maniac) paints his ultra-violent picture and the acts within it against a backdrop of ugly visuals and dark locales that only emphasize the brutality and general sense of bleakness that surrounds the events depicted in the movie. The picture has a necessary aura of tragedy about it, tragedy surrounding the meaningless violence and the tragedy that is the failure of the justice system to do right by throwing the book at the world's worst. Lustig does well to accentuate the good by over-emphasizing the bad; it's a smart -- and maybe the only -- approach to the material, and while Vigilante isn't the best of its genre, it's a solid effort all around.

Aside from its sound visual structure and wonderful thematic balance, Vigilante delivers some quality acting performances and a very good score that both further add to the picture's base appeal and technical foundation. Robert Forster turns in something of an understated but nevertheless effective performance as Eddie Marino, a man whose family has been torn asunder and who falls victim to the corrupted and unfair justice system that only fails him and his family every step of the way. Forster doesn't show much emotion in the scenes following his son's death and wife's trauma; while some may see that as a failure to emote, Forster instead displays a combination of shock and regret that seem to stymie the physical response and instead engender a very instinctual, focused, determined, and unfettered psychological response that has him focused on one thing and one thing only: finding and doling out the justice that's eluded him for far too long. Forster displays some solid emotional balance as he accepts that fact and comes around to the persuasions of his good friend Nick, the champion of the vigilante way and the rock alongside which Forster's character settles himself and gains the confidence he needs to deal out his own methods of violently disciplining those who have gone wrongly unpunished. Fred Williamson turns in the picture's best performance as Nick, a hard, no-holds-barred vigilante who dishes out the pain to drug dealers and other lowlifes. His opening monologue is a thing of beauty, and Williamson looks as menacing as he sounds and serves up the hurt like nobody's business. Sure he overacts just a bit, but considering the character's stature, unflinching commitment to vigilantism, and purpose in the film, Williamson can't be faulted for overplaying things just a bit in order to find the right combination of sincere, trustworthy, and dangerous the character requires. Vigilante also rocks a quality score courtesy of "Star Trek" composer Jay Chattaway that does well to accentuate the picture's themes while also sprucing it up a bit for added dramatic effect and sheer entertainment value. Ultimately, Vigilante can't escape something of an ever-so-slight cheesy 1980s vibe, but the picture works as a mostly serious and dour but at the same time exciting and oddly inspiring tale of the personal satisfaction that is reveling in the violent and just revenge against the world's worst criminals.

Vigilante Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Vigilante exacts its revenge on Blu-ray with a 1080p picture quality that's about as good as it gets from Blue Underground. Aside from a few softer shots and blacks that are nicely inky and honest but a touch too overpowering of foreground details, Vigilante delivers a top-notch transfer that does this modestly-budgeted 1983 picture very well. The image is stable and exceptionally clear and sharp. Details impress throughout, particularly in the urban jungle where concrete, building façades, tree trunks, and other assorted objects seen around the city sparkle in high definition, boasting excellent texturing and clarity far into the background. Colors are very stable and true with no discernible bleeding and no shades that appear either too saturated or unnaturally dull. The image retains a rather handsome layer of grain and never features any bothersome background noise. Better yet, noise reduction, aliasing, excessive banding, and other visual anomalies are nowhere to be found. Vigilante looks great on Blu-ray, and it's quite possibly Blue Underground's best overall transfer yet.

Vigilante Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Equal to the strong video presentation is Vigilante's DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack. Making wonderful use of each and every speaker in the configuration, Blue Underground's lossless soundtrack delivers a potent and immersive experience that's consistently entertaining and makes good use of all that high-dollar sound equipment, bringing this early 80s picture of violence and revenge to life like never before. The track features a solid, pulsating low end that plays during the opening monologue, followed by a barrage of gunfire that's pleasantly forceful and that sets a good tone for the rest of the picture. The best element of Vigilante's soundtrack is the fine implementation of its hard-hitting score. The music heard over the opening title sequence plays loudly and aggressively but with a smoothness and clarity that's not lost under the sheer power it exudes. This type of musical presentation remains throughout the movie, every instance featuring fine spacing, a good sense of immersion, and plenty of surround support. Speaking of the surround channels, they're used extensively in support of additional elements outside the music. An opening sequence inside an elevator features an echoing sensation in the shaft while the rumble of the machinery hauling the cart up the building is nicely realized and effectively places the listener inside. Background ambience is well-integrated into the track, too; whether the various sounds inside a bar, the general din of a rowdy prison, or city sound effects both low-key and more pronounced are all nicely immersive, the latter in particular adding just the slightest atmospherics to make for a very convincing environment. Other than some slight audible hissing and dialogue that's occasionally too soft, Vigilante's lossless soundtrack is up to every challenge it faces, and the some.

Vigilante Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Vigilante debuts on Blu-ray with a nice assortment of bonus material, the collection headlined by a pair of audio commentary tracks. Track one features Co-Producer/Director William Lustig and Co-Producer Andrew W. Garroni, while the second features Co-Producer/Director William Lustig and Stars Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, and Frank Pesce. The first track, recorded in May 2010, offers quality discussions surrounding the "guerilla filmmaking" that defined the making of the movie. It's very well-spoken and informative, with discussions centered on the cast, interesting anecdotes behind the making of the movie, filming before securing the budget and the subsequent stress that defined the making of the picture, and much more. The second track is a little more standard in the sort of information it offers, with discussions revolving around anecdotes from the set, shooting locations, the story, and more. Not only is the technical quality of the first track audibly superior to the second one (that references videotape and LaserDisc copies of the film if one wants to vaguely guess its age), it's the more intriguing of the two by a longshot. Lustig says of the first track that it's to cover "the actual nuts-and-bolts of making a movie." It's a strong, fascinating track and a must-listen. Following the commentaries are several smaller extras. First is a smorgasbord of Vigilante trailers: the U.S. trailer (1080p, 1:36), the international trailer (480p, 1:52), two British trailers (480p, 2:13 & 1:54), the German trailer (480p, 1:49), the Italian trailer (480p, 3:22), and the French trailer (480p, 1:47). Also included are four Vigilante TV spots (480p, 0:31 runtime for the first three and 0:12 for the last), a Vigilante radio spot (1080p, 0:33), the picture's promotional reel (480p, 3:35) which is basically its opening sequence filmed to secure funds for and interest in the film, and a still gallery set to music from the film (480p, 3:52).

Vigilante Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Vigilante is no award-wining film, but it's a steady, well-made, nicely-acted, and entertaining movie that's sure to leave audiences satisfied for having survived the roller-coaster ordeal that sees the disgustingly needless violence countered by the average Joe who's not going to let the system let him down. Vigilante is a wholly unoriginal picture, but it works thanks to its spit-and-polish technical know-how that nicely balances the underlying structural necessities needed to make a movie of high standards against the thematic need of giving it an almost grotesque, dark, and dreary façade meant to accentuate the innate ugliness of the world in which the action takes place. It might make for a rather squeamish watch, but it's all part of the experience. Blue Underground's done right by Vigilante's Blu-ray release. The studio's graced the film with a sparkling 1080p transfer, an exciting lossless soundtrack, and a couple of good commentaries amongst a few additional extras. Fans need to go ahead and order right away. Recommended.