calvinnme This is a gritty low budget crime drama from director William Lustig. Robert Forster stars as your average working joe with a wife and small son. After a gang of criminals brutally attack his wife and murder his child, and then the ringleader is let go with a suspended sentence, he vows to get revenge himself. He's in luck, because his three work buddies have been operating their own vigilante squad in secret, kidnapping and beating (and worse) criminals that the law can't or won't touch.Very violent, and set in NYC before it was cleaned up, this film panders to an audience angry and hungry for law and order, as did many films of the 70s and 80s. It's cheaply manipulative in that way, which is why it's dismissed by most critics. But it has held a healthy cult following over the years. Fred Williamson is enthusiastic as the leader of the vigilante squad, which also includes Richard Bright. Rutanya Alda plays the wife, Joe Spinell shows up as a sleazy defense lawyer and with a young Steve James as a patrol cop. Carol Lynley plays the harried Assistant District Attorney, and Woody Strode shows up as a tough old convict.

Leofwine_draca A typically brutal and hard-edged thriller from William Lustig, the man mainly known for his video nasty epic MANIAC. This follows the same path as DEATH WISH and THE EXTERMINATOR in its depiction of a man pushed over the edge by street gangs, who goes out on to the street himself to enact a hideous revenge on those responsible for the death of his loved ones. Although this is a film very rough around the edges (sometimes dialogue is muffled when background noise comes through), the pacing and well-staged chase sequences are spot on and the film has a vibe of realism which makes it more than viewable. It also concentrates less on the violence towards the innocent than other films of the genre which makes it a little bit less tasteless than most, and indeed more enjoyable.Although the plot will be largely familiar to anybody who has ever seen a 'vigilante' movie, the story keeps on moving and is careful to stick with characterisation at the expense of action, turning it into something more than another blood-and-bullets high-octane thriller. Saying that, the action keeps on coming and is well-portrayed, my favourite scene being the chase between Williamson and the drug dealer. Although the ending of the film can never be in doubt, Lustig makes some ponderous comments about justice and the handling of crime along the way.Robert Forster takes the lead role of Eddie Marino, forced to become a killer to get revenge for his family. Although not a brilliant actor, Forster is nonetheless likable AND understandable (that's the key) in his portrayal of the man, and doesn't go over the top - instead his subdued performance adds to the realistic feel of the film as a whole. In comparison, Fred Williamson gets to bag another hard-as-nails tough guy role for his screen career, and plays one of the coolest, iciest and just plain strongest roles of his career. Familiar faces appear lower down in the cast list, such as the British Carol Lynley as a district attorney, old-timer Woody Strodes tough as ever as a prison friend, MANIAC himself, Joe Spinell, as a corrupt lawyer and Steve James as an investigating cop. Ultimately, however, it's the unknowns who do well, particularly the guys playing the street gang members who create some of the most hateful and believable thugs you'll ever see on screen.

Red-Barracuda A vigilante group take it upon themselves to administer tough justice. An ordinary Joe called Eddie Marino disapproves but later changes his mind after a gang murder his son and assault his wife and then are subsequently let off by the courts.This William Lustig flick is a direct descendant of Death Wish and the Italian Poliziotteschis. It's a film that actively promotes vigilantism but in a similar way to how Dirty Harry promoted police brutality, no one should really take this too seriously. It's an exploitation crime thriller pure and simple, even if like the other vigilante movies from the time it clearly tapped into something relevant. Crime in urban cities was particularly terrible at the time and the law were not awfully effective in dealing with it. It does have to be admitted that the streets of New York featured in Vigilante look seriously nasty. This was a mean city alright.This is a pretty well made film of its type. The scope photography is pretty handsome. It also boasts a really good cast including Robert Forster, Fred Williamson and Woody Strode. The story is direct and simple with a decent enough pay off. There are absolutely no surprises here at all but sometimes more of the same is okay.

Scott LeBrun Director William Lustig followed up his classic "Maniac" with this equally potent thriller. Robert Forster offers an interesting, low key portrayal of Eddie Marino, a blue collar guy whose wife and son are savagely attacked by loathsome punks. When Eddie realizes that he cannot rely on the "justice" system - including a crooked defense attorney ("Maniac" star Joe Spinell, in an amusing cameo) and an incompetent judge (Vincent Beck), he finally takes a friend, Nick (Fred "The Hammer" Williamson), up on his offer to help clean up the streets. The tone is set up very well right away, as The Hammer addresses us all and delivers a monologue bemoaning the level of crime and violence in the modern world. One can indeed see that he and his associates, Ramon (Joseph Carberry) and Burke (Richard Bright), himself a former cop, don't necessarily ENJOY what they do, but see it as being necessary, stressing the basic human right to not have to live in fear. And Lustig and company pull no punches when it comes to the depravity of our antagonists' crimes, not being afraid to cross the line of what might constitute good taste. At the very least, the movie is decent, reasonably gripping entertainment that explores that oft visited theme of what the average person is capable of doing once they've finally been pushed too far. As in "Maniac", the use of the various NYC locations is excellent, and there are some great chase sequences and scenes of strong violence. The widescreen photography (it's cool that this movie was shot in the Panavision aspect ratio) is impressive; the haunting and catchy main theme by composer Jay Chattaway may very well stick in the viewer's head a while after the movie has ended. The good supporting cast is also a big help, featuring such performers as Rutanya Alda as Eddie's wife Vickie, Don Blakely as despicable lowlife Prago, salsa music legend Willie Colon as gang leader Rico, Carol Lynley as the ineffective district attorney, the awesome Woody Strode as imposing convict Rake, Frank Pesce as drug dealing scum "Blueboy", Peter Savage (to whom the movie is dedicated) as big shot gangster Mr. Stokes, and busy 80's action movie regular Steve James as Patrolman Gibbons. (Keep an eye out for the walk on by Lustig as he exits an elevator.) The Hammer is especially fun to watch in one of his best ever roles; overall, "Vigilante" is good of its kind and packs a pretty mean punch. Seven out of 10.