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 films in which the legal system fails protagonists, leading them to become vigilantes. While associated with other genres such as crime, western, or adventure, the vigilante film has also often crossed over in recent years with the superhero genre, due to character origin stories frequently involving an injustice having been committed against them.

History

In United States cinema, vigilante films gained prominence during the 1970s with "touchstones" like Death Wish and Dirty Harry, both of which received multiple sequels. The 1974 film Death Wish has been described as officially starting the genre, causing imitations such as Vigilante Force (1976) or Vigilante (1982), with the most financially successful being The Exterminator (1980).Richard B. Armstrong, Mary Willems Armstrong. (2010). Encyclopedia of Film Themes, Settings and Series. McFarland. p. 216.

The Los Angeles Times reported, "Vigilante vengeance was the cinematic theme of the [1970s], 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 New Hollywood example of the genre in comparison to the multiple exploitation or B film examples produced during the 1970s. 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

Pre-1965 vigilante films Film Year Ref. Tracked by Bloodhounds; or, A Lynching at Cripple Creek 1904 The White Caps 1905 The Birth of a Nation 1915 Judex 1916 The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938 The Mark of Zorro 1940 The Ox-Bow Incident 1943 The Big Heat1953The Bravados 1958 The Virgin Spring 1960 Treasure of Silver Lake 1962 Youth of the Beast 1963

Late-60s to mid-80s vigilante film wave Film Year Ref. The Sons of Katie Elder 1965 The Elusive Avengers 1967 The Born Losers 1967 Death Rides a Horse 1967 The Bride Wore Black 1968 1969 Cold Sweat 1970 Joe 1970 Ned Kelly 1970 Violent City 1970 Billy Jack 1971 Chrome and Hot Leather 1971 Dirty Harry 1971 Straw Dogs 1971 Shaft 1971 Execution Squad 1972 Ulzana's Raid 1972 Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion 1972 The No Mercy Man 1973 Coffy 1973 The Violent Professionals 1973 Magnum Force 1973 Revolver 1973 Robin Hood 1973 Thriller – A Cruel Picture 1973 Walking Tall 1973 What Have They Done to Your Daughters? 1974 Death Wish 1974 Street Law 1974 Foxy Brown 1974 Three the Hard Way 1974 The Street Fighter 1974 The Black Six 1974 Black Belt Jones 1974 Act of Vengeance 1974 The Black Gestapo 1975 Syndicate Sadists 1975 The Common Man 1975 Kidnap Syndicate 1975 Manhunt in the City 1975 The "Human" Factor 1975 The Big Racket 1976 Taxi Driver 1976 Colt 38 Special Squad 1976 Vigilante Force 1976 Zebra Force 1976 The Enforcer 1976 Lipstick 1976 Strange Shadows in an Empty Room 1976 Trial by Combat 1976 Keoma 1976 The Outlaw Josey Wales 1976 Mad Dog Morgan 1976 Brotherhood of Death 1976 An Average Little Man 1977 Double Game 1977 Rolling Thunder 1977 I Spit on Your Grave 1978 A Dangerous Toy 1979 Mad Max 1979 Defiance 1980 1980 Ms. 45 1981 Lovely But Deadly 1981 Death Wish II 1982 Krodham 1982 Fighting Back 1982 1990: The Bronx Warriors 1982 First Blood 1982 Burst City 1983 The Graduates of Malibu High 1983 The Star Chamber 1983 Sudden Impact 1983 Escape from the Bronx 1983 Vigilante 1983 Alley Cat 1984 The Toxic Avenger 1984 Exterminator 2 1984 Savage Streets 1984 Streets of Fire 1984 Blastfighter 1984 Death Wish 3 1985 Naked Vengeance 1985 The Last Dragon 1985 Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except 1985

Late 1980s to 2000s Film Year Ref. The Gladiator 1986 The Seventh Curse 1986 Death Wish 4: The Crackdown 1987 Man on Fire 1987 Rolling Vengeance 1987 Miami Connection 1987 Her Vengeance 1988 I'm Gonna Git You Sucka 1988 Pumpkinhead 1988 Traxx 1988 Batman 1989 The Punisher 1989 Darkman 1990 Total Recall 1990 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves 1991 Escape (1991 film) 1991 Falling Down 1993 1994 Dark Angel: The Ascent 1994 Death Wish V: The Face of Death 1994 Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie1995 Blood and Donuts 1995 One Tough Bastard 1995 Rumble in the Bronx 1995 1996 Eye for an Eye 1996 Night Hunter 1996 Spawn 1997 Blade 1998 1999 Shaft 2000 Faust: Love of the Damned 2000 Collateral Damage 2002 Spider-Man 2002 Kill Bill 2003 2003 The Hebrew Hammer 2003 Hellboy 2004 Walking Tall 2004 2004 Man on Fire 2004 Saw 2004 Bad Reputation 2005 Batman Begins 2005 Constantine 2005 Sin City 2005 Anniyan 2005 Four Brothers 2005 Saw II 2005 V for Vendetta 2005 Munich 2005 Hard Candy 2006 Death Note 2006 Saw III 2006 El Muerto 2007 Death Sentence 2007 2007 Urban Justice 2007 Saw IV 2007 Gutterballs 2008 Taken 2008 The Horseman 2008 2008 Saw V 2008 Gran Torino 2008 Punisher: War Zone 2008 Watchmen 2009 Inglourious Basterds 2009 Defendor 2009 Harry Brown 2009 Law Abiding Citizen 2009 The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day 2009 Saw VI 2009

2010s to the present Film Year Ref. Kick-Ass 2010 22 Bullets 2010 Super 2010 Batman: Under the Red Hood 2010 The Man from Nowhere 2010 Machete 2010 13 Assassins 2010 Saw 3D 2010 Red: Werewolf Hunter 2010 Faster 2010 Drive Angry 2011 Hobo with a Shotgun 2011 Drive 2011 Gallowwalkers 2012 Scary or Die 2012 The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse 2012 2012 2012 Bad Ass 2012 Taken 2 2012 Fire with Fire 2012 The Man with the Iron Fists 2012 Django Unchained 2012 The Last Stand 2013 Snitch 2013 Prisoners 2013 Avenged 2013 Kick-Ass 2 2013 The Outlaw Michael Howe 2013 Skin Trade 2014 John Wick 2014 John Doe: Vigilante 2014 In Order of Disappearance 2014 2014 Mr. X 2015 Taken 3 2015 Vendetta 2015 Elle 2016 I Am Wrath 2016 The Accountant 2016 Vengeance: A Love Story 2017 The Foreigner 2017 Jigsaw 2017 Burning 2018 Peppermint 2018 The Equalizer 2 2018 Death Wish 2018 Mandy 2018 War 2019 Rambo: Last Blood 2019 6 Underground 2019 Birds of Prey 2020 Promising Young Woman 2020 Nobody 2021 Spiral: From the Book of Saw 2021 Wrath of Man 2021 The Protégé 2021 The Batman 2022 The Baker 2022 The Equalizer 3 2023 Jawan 2023 Boy Kills World 2023 The Toxic Avenger 2023 Saw X 2023 The Beekeeper 2024 Monkey Man 2024 The Crow 2024 Rebel Ridge 2024 Locked 2025 A Working Man 2025 The Amateur 2025 The Accountant 2 2025 Havoc 2025 From the World of John Wick: Ballerina 2025 Nobody 2 2025 Shelter 2026 Is God Is 2026 Citizen Vigilante 2026 The Beekeeper 2 2027 The Batman: Part II 2028

See also

References

Bibliography