Vigilante (1983)
Directed by William Lustig
Genres - Horror, Action, Adventure |
Sub-Genres - Action Thriller |
Release Date - Sep 16, 1983 (USA - Unknown), Sep 16, 1983 (USA) |
Run Time - 90 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Eleanor Mannikka
The excessive violence in this action thriller makes New York City look like the site of a civil war -- or rather, a nauseatingly uncivil war fought between factory workers allied with neighborhood citizens against their enemies: drug pushers and other low-lifes. At first the worker Eddie Merino (Robert Forster) refuses to join a vigilante movement, but when his wife is stabbed and his son killed by a Puerto Rican gang, Eddie eventually opts for his own right to kill. His decision is not allowed to come quickly, he is made to agonize a bit longer. When the gang leader (singer Willie Colón) who killed Eddie's son is caught and brought up for trial, he gets off with a suspended sentence because of a corrupt defense lawyer and an inept judge. Eddie attacks the judge in court and is sent to jail for contempt. When he gets out of jail, he becomes a vigilante, out to kill the guilty or those he sees as protecting the guilty in the death of his son. From then on, a non-stop bloodbath takes over as the star of the film.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
police, gangster, killing, punk, rampage, revenge, terrorism