Michael Ledo The film opens with John Doe (Jamie Bamber) in jail granting an interview to a reporter (Lachy Hulme). He is accused of killing 33 people, all of which "deserved killing." The list included pedophiles, murderers, and wife beaters all repeat offenders. 20 minutes into the film we discover Mr. Doe was a social worker, who knew the victims or his victims. As time goes on copycat killers arise as "Speak for the Dead" spring up across the world.This was an interesting film that engages the viewer with questions about justice and the legal system. At one point it equates vigilante action with war. At another point it asks, if the vigilante kills because he enjoys killing then is he a hero or part of the problem? The role of the media is criticized and questioned. The film was done rather well, and leave it to the Aussies to come up with a heartfelt slasher. Nice surprise ending too.Perhaps the most unbelievable aspect of this film was that events that happened in Australia somehow were of interest worldwide. Like that would happen.Parental Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

wamwatcher Recorded off cable just because I was curious about Jamie Bamber acting outside of Galactica. The DVR listing said "Thought Provoking," but they say even the junk is "riveting," but this time they got something right. And you'll notice most of the reviews mention John Doe made them THINK. You can go through a lot of movies without that happening. Especially now that Summer is coming. :>){TINY SPOILERS HERE!!} Some plot points get glossed over, there is a twist at the end that is fun but could use more explanation, & an audience gratification ending. Which is the best I can do for complaints. RECOMMENDED

natasa_xania One of the best movies i have watched in years and oh boy...i have seen a lot of them. The actors? The plot? The scenes? Excellent. It makes you wonder and google if it is a real story and what would you do if something like that would have happened to you. A story about a man that takes law in his hands. Has he done the wrong or the right thing? Which was his motives? If you were one of the juries would you have find the defendant guilty or not? I can't say much cause i don't want to make a spoiler for you guys so i will say one thing. This film gave me chills and i think everyone should watch it. First review here and i submitted just to give this film the credits it deserves. Do your self a favor and watch it! You will understand a lot about people and about yourselves.

zardoz-13 Writer & director Kelly Doan's "John Doe, Vigilante" qualifies as the most provocative contemporary vigilante thriller since the Charles Bronson "Death Wish" movies. This message-laden saga is at once both issue-oriented as well as action-packed with at least three surprises. The inherent weakness here is that Dolan and scenarist Stephen M. Coates don't develop the characters sufficients and everything is a bit too neat to be entirely believable. Nevertheless, "Joe Doe Vigilante" is quite often a gripping film. An anonymous individual who dons a white mask and a hoodie doles out rough justice in a variety to ways. The eponymous hero, however, confines himself to killing either criminals or people who have gotten away with their heinous crimes. Television news reporter Sam Foley (Gary Abrahams), who has covered Joe Doe's killing spree, points out the problem to fellow journalist Ken Rutherford (Lachy Hulme) about a half-hour into this compelling but loquacious 93 minute melodrama. Foley explains, ". . . the system as it stands, it doesn't work." Foley elaborates, "We're too politically correct. It's all about the perp's rights. The preps get their way. The victims end up getting screwed. And when you go to court, if you're lucky enough to get to court, the courts end up editing the victim's impact statement." Soon afterward, Sam compares a vigilante to a soldier. "A vigilante is simply somebody who violates the law in order to punish a criminal for what they believe is right, for what they believe is justice. So what then do you call a country who sends soldiers to kill people in places like Afghanistan or Iran, Iraq, Korea, Vietnam, in the name of what they believe is right, in the name of what they believe is justice? That country is a vigilante, pure and simple. Only, when a country does it, people call it war, and nobody bats an eyelid. But when a country does it, they aren't anywhere near as clinical or as careful as someone like Joe Doe. And that country ends up killing thousands of innocent women and innocent children."John Doe (Jamie Bamber of "Battlestar Galactica") is a decent individual who can no longer tolerate a flawed justice system that allows criminals get away with their crimes. He is a combination of Charles Bronson's Paul Kersey in "Death Wish" and Peter Finch's Howard Beale from "Network." He takes justice into his own hands and kills child molesters, wife beaters, and other criminals. The plain mask that he wears represents a kind of objectivity that his notorious exploits encapsulate. Eventually, his vigilantism inspires a conservative, grass roots movement that labels themselves "Speak for the Dead." These people take it upon themselves to punish lawbreakers that the justice system refuses to punish. Dolan and Coates relate the action in flashback, and they outline the vigilante history of our sympathetic hero. Before the jury delivers its verdict, Joe Doe is in custody, and he consents to an jail house interview with Ken Rutherford. The big surprise comes here. Despite its garrulous nature, "John Doe Vigilante" is an intelligent film that doesn't pander with his many brutal killings. Dolan doesn't whip us up into a frenzy. He lens everything from an impersonal point of view until he shows our hero in a podcast confronting the man who inspired him to embark on his vigilante path. At its worst, "John Doe Vigilante" is pretentious but articulate. The ending may not come as a surprise to some, but it is unlike anything we've seen before. Any time that I can watch a movie completely in one sitting, I know that the filmmakers have done something right. Some movies you have to break up into a number of different viewings, but I had no problem watching "John Doe Vigilante" from start to finish late one evening and wrote this review during the process.