Vigilante film

The vigilante film is a film genre in which the protagonist or protagonists engage in vigilante behavior, taking the law into their own hands. Vigilante films are usually revenge thriller films in which the legal system fails protagonists, leading them to become vigilantes.

In United States cinema, vigilante films gained prominence during the 1970s with "touchstones" like Death Wish and Dirty Harry, both of which had sequels. The Los Angeles Times reported, "Vigilante vengeance was the cinematic theme of the decade, flourishing in the more respectable precincts of the new American cinema even as it fueled numerous exploitation flicks," referring to Taxi Driver as a respectable example of the genre. It reported in 2009 that such films were making a comeback after "the comparatively prosperous and peaceable 1990s", with examples like Walking Tall (2004), Death Sentence (2007), and Law Abiding Citizen (2009).

List of films

This film, television or video-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it with reliably sourced additions.

The following vigilante films are listed alphabetically.


Late 60s-mid 80s vigilante film wave

Film Year Ref.
Alley Cat1984
An Average Little Man1977
The Big Racket1976
Billy Jack1971[1]
The Black Gestapo1975
Bloodrage1979
The Bride Wore Black1968
Chrome and Hot Leather1971
Coffy1973
Colt 38 Special Squad1976
The Common Man1975
A Dangerous Toy1979
Death Weekend1976
Death Wish1974[2]
Death Wish II1982
Defiance1980
Dirty Harry1971[2]
Double Game1977
The Enforcer 1976
Execution Squad1972
The Exterminator1980[2]
Exterminator 21984
An Eye for an Eye1981
The Graduates of Malibu High1983
Hatred1977
High Plains Drifter1973
The "Human" Factor 1975
I Spit on Your Grave1978[3]
Jackson County Jail 1976
Joe1970
Kidnap Syndicate1975
Krodham1982
Lady Snowblood1973
The Last House on the Left1972
Law and Disorder 1974
Lipstick1976
Magnum Force 1973
Manhunt in the City1975
Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia1973
Ms. 451981
Naked Vengeance1985
Revolver 1973
Robin Hood1973[3]
Savage Streets 1984
The Star Chamber1983
Strange Shadows in an Empty Room1976
Straw Dogs1971
The Street Fighter1974
Street Law1974
Sudden Impact1983
Syndicate Sadists1975
Taxi Driver1976[2]
Three the Hard Way1974
Thriller – A Cruel Picture1973
Tony Arzenta1973
Trial by Combat1976
Ulzana's Raid1972[4]
Vigilante1983[4]
Vigilante Force1976
Violent City1970
Walking Tall1973[5]
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?1974
The Wild Bunch1969[4]
Zebra Force1976

1980s to the present

Film Year Ref.
The Amazing Spider-Man2012[3]
Batman1989
Batman Begins2005[5]
The Boondock Saints1999[5]
The Brave One2007[2]
The Crow1994[3]
The Dark Knight2008[6]
The Dark Knight Rises2012[3]
Darkman1990
Deadpool2016
Death Sentence2007[2]
Death Wish2018
Defendor2009[7]
Desperado1995[3]
The Equalizer2014[8]
Eye for an Eye1996[2]
Falling Down1993[3]
Faster2010[3]
Four Brothers2005[4]
The Gladiator1986[3]
Gran Torino2008[5]
Hard Candy2006[9]
Hard to Kill1990[6]
Harry Brown2009[5]
Hobo with a Shotgun2011[3]
The Horseman2008
Inglourious Basterds2009[2]
John Wick2014
Kick-Ass2010[10]
Kick-Ass 22013[11]
Kill Bill2003[3]
Law Abiding Citizen2009[2]
Machete2010[3]
A Man Apart2003[4]
Man on Fire2004[6]
Munich2005[4]
Peppermint2018
Prisoners2013[12]
The Punisher2004[4]
Rolling Vengeance1987[3]
Super2010[3]
Taken2008[3]
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles1990[3]
A Time to Kill1996[2]
V for Vendetta2005[5]
Walking Tall2004[2]
Watchmen2009[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lichtenfeld, Eric (2007). Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie. Wesleyan. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-8195-6801-4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Lim, Dennis (October 19, 2009). "Vigilante films, an American tradition". Los Angeles Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Staff (August 13, 2013). "24 Frames: Vigilante Justice!". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lichtenfeld, Eric (September 13, 2007). "Killer Films". Slate. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Plumb, Alistair (April 1, 2010). "The 8 Most Kick-Ass Movie Vigilantes". Empire. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Firecloud, Johnny (November 18, 2009). "10 Best Vigilante Films". CraveOnline. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  7. ↑ Rohit, Parimal. "Defending 'Defendor'". Archived from the original on 2010-08-08. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  8. ↑ Steinberg, Don (September 18, 2014). "'The Equalizer': Vigilante Justice". The Wall Street Journal.
  9. ↑ Stringer, Rebecca. "From Victim to Vigilante". www.academia.edu. Routeledge. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  10. ↑ Scott, A. O. (April 15, 2010). "Brutal Truths About Violence". The New York Times.
  11. ↑ Coyle, Jake (June 24, 2013). "Carrey says 'Kick-Ass 2' too violent after Newtown". The Big Story. Associated Press. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Hugh Jackman to Star in Vigilante Thriller PRISONERS for November 2013 Release". Collider.com. March 15, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2013.

Bibliography

  • Hoppenstand, Gary (1993). "Lethal weapons: The gun as icon in the popular urban vigilante film". In Loukides, Paul; Fuller, Linda K. Beyond the Stars 3: The Material World in American Popular Film. Popular Press. ISBN 978-0-87972-623-2.
  • Novak, Glenn D. (November 1987). "Social Ills and the One-Man Solution: Depictions of Evil in the Vigilante Film". International Conference on the Expressions of Evil in Literature and the Visual Arts.
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