First off, yes, 'Vigilante' does bear some superficial resemblances to 'Death Wish'. But in other ways it is a different kind of animal, tougher, more realistic and believable. Directed by William Lustig in between his trash classic 'Maniac' and 'Maniac Cop', the movie greatly benefits from the strong performances of Robert Forster ('Medium Cool', 'Jackie Brown') and Fred Williamson ('Black Caesar'), two actors who unfortunately have generally been wasted in dull action movies and awful straight to video dreck. Forster displays dignity and depth of character as a working class Joe pushed to his limit, and Fred Williamson gives possibly his most impressive performance ever, as his buddy who shows him a way to get closure. Both Forster and Williamson are supported by an above average cast of character actors including Richard Bright and Joe Spinell (both of 'The Godfather' as well as countless other roles), and veteran Woody Strode. This is a lean, mean and nasty revenge thriller worth tracking down.
