Vigilante Movies

Because my film idea is in essence a vigilante movie, I have researched into some past vigilante revenge thrillers that I could find some inspiration in.

Taxi Driver

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the film looks at one man's disenheartenment with his country after returning from Vietnam. The film is a character study and is driven by Robert Deniro's acting of the role of Travis Bickle as we see him first try to fit in with society and then set out to destroy it. Notable scenes includethe shootout at the end which is extremely realistic. Not only are no effects such as slow motion used to heighten the drama, but unlike most American films, when someone is shot they do not die instantly. This makes the shootout unglorified and gritty. Slow motion is used earlier on in the film when we see Betsy for the first time, and when we see a group of Pimps in the cafe. Both of these reflect Travis's contemplation.

Dead Man's Shoes

This is a really good English revenge thriller by Shane Meadows ( Director of This is England ). It focuses on Richard, a paratrooper returning from the army in order to get revenge on the small time drug dealers who tormented his brother. The fim is played out with a number of black and white flashbacks (like homevideo), while the main plot plays out. The opening is also very arresting. as the credits go up we see 'homevideo's' of the brothers growing up backed by gentle country music. This straight away sides us with Richard and his brother. As well asd this the opening line sets up the mood for the film. This line is:

'God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven. I can't live with that.'

This line not only reflects Richard's unstable state of mind, but also the guilt that he allowed his brother to be tormented and was not there for him.

The film is also interesting in the fact we are put in the place of the small time drug dealers. As a result Richard appears as an unstoppable force as he kills his way through the gang, and so appears like a slasher film villain.

The film is really worth seeing and is one of my favourite films.


Deathwish

Deathwish was one of the original vigilante films, and although not very well directed , the film is still inspirational film. This is because it was the original vigilante revenge thriller.

The film focuses on Paul Kersey as we see him struggle after the murder of his wife and rape of his daughter. After the police fail to arrest anyone, Kersey goes out to seek revenge on the gang who wronged him, while taking down numerous street urchins in the process.