Hooded crusaders, masked mavericks and the like seem to have an oligopoly on vigilante movies, with Marvel and DC in particular spewing endless amounts of superheroes into the metaverse. But what about the movies whose vigilantes don’t fit the stereotype, who don’t have a mask, the ones who may not necessarily take down an entire company, a government or a terrorist group, but whose focus is still to make the world a better place? make room? ?
Updated March 26, 2023: If you’re interested in vigilante and revenge movies, but want something more grounded and less fantastical like a superhero movie, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with additional content and even higher quality.
With those from Netflix I came by and Prime Videos Samaritan being more recent examples in a centuries-long line stretching back to 1920s films Zorro’s mark And Robin Hoodlet’s take a look at the best (non-superhero) vigilante movies, here are the best…
10 Mandy
Nicolas Cage can never be faulted when it comes to delivering lines with the utmost conviction and passionate sincerity, and in the trippy, feverish dream that is the 2018 dream. Mandy, he is just that. After Red’s wife (Nicolas Cage) is murdered in cold blood by a vicious cult, possessed by an inner rage and an insatiable appetite for reprisal, Red embarks on a one-man mission to avenge the death of his lover.
9 Death wish
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years 1974 Death wish undoubtedly proved to be a source of inspiration for 1993 Falling down, with the movies having a number of similarities besides the obvious vigilante. Death wish presents the story of an architect, Paul Kersey, who witnesses the murder of his wife and the brutal rape of his daughter when intruders break into their family home.
Pushed to the limit, Kersey ignores his once morally principled approach, becoming a ruthless vigilante and murdering every criminal he encounters. The Death wish movies, with Charles Bronson, has been endlessly influential on movies like Nobody, John Wick, And The equalizer.
8 You were never really here
Lynne Ramsay’s boldly atmospheric, psychologically questioning and at times puzzlingly indecipherable 2018 feature film, You were never really here, is a triumph of cinema and storytelling. Of the We need to talk about Kevin director, we walk in the shadow of a mysterious army veteran haunted by unknown experiences, as his expertise is called in to track down and rescue a young girl kidnapped by traffickers. This is a 2010 action thriller along the lines of Takenbut with a hallucinatory, shadowy and tense edge that borders on an art film or a nightmare.
7 The Boondock Saints
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Troy Duffy’s The Boondock Saints tells the story of brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus, who embark on a mission to free Boston from its criminal underworld under the delusion that they are doing God’s duty. One of the highlights of the film is FBI agent Paul Smecker, brilliantly played by Willem Dafoe, who steals every scene with his frenzied, frenzied performance. Filled with comedic elements and great action sequences, The Boondock Saints is a shoot ’em up full of fun.
6 Promising young woman
Universal
Promising young woman casts a different perspective on the vigilante genre, involving the #MeToo movement and the discussion around sexual assault. Carey Mulligan plays Cassie, a high school dropout who works at a coffee shop. It soon transpires that the reason for her apparent distaste for men was the rape and subsequent suicide of her best friend, Nina. Carrie fervently pursues the perpetrators in a methodical, calculated and ruthless manner after new revelations inflame her.
Mulligan is utterly sublime as Carrie, an independent woman haunted by past injustices, who goes out and actively searches for a rapist. The film was made in part to support the #MeToo campaign, but its release also happened to coincide with the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a UK police officer, making an already culturally significant story even more reverent and poignant.
5 Kill Bill
Razor sharp, fast and indiscriminately deadly… and that’s just the bride’s samurai sword. That description could apply to any of them Kill Billits many facets. In typical Tarantino fashion, the Lady Snowblood homage is an electric, irresistible image that is always one step ahead.
A frantic tale of unrelenting revenge, the film documents the bride’s (Uma Thurman) attempts to strike back at her former boss, Bill, who puts her in a coma after a brutal attack. Features one of the best scenes from the 2000s, where the Bride goes up against the Crazy 88 in a monochromatic vengeful frenzy. Kill Bill is a film that simply cannot be overlooked.
4 inglorious bastards
inglorious bastards has that comic-book style of so many of Tarantino’s movies, with the quick cuts, killer dialogue, and snappy tracking shots. Set in Nazi-occupied France, the film is a fictionalized take on the German-hired la république and the plot of two unlikely conspirators to overthrow Hitler and Nazism.
Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish orphan who witnessed the barbaric slaughter of her family by the fascist regime, tries to blow up a movie theater in which high-ranking Nazi officials are playing the premiere of a German propaganda film. The Django unleashed the director’s zeal for maximum violence and a dry sense of humor are ever present.
3 Yojimbo
Akira Kurosawa was and is arguably Japan’s biggest film export. The director boasts a prolific filmography that packs classic after classic. A movie adapted by Sergio Leone for A handful of dollars would undoubtedly have a spotless screenplay. years 1957 Yojimbo is an epic samurai movie, it tells the story of a nameless man who arrives in a village divided by gang wars, as two factions led by unscrupulous businessmen clash. Instead of becoming a mediator, the nameless man plays the two businessmen off against each other, causing even more damage.
2 Falling down
Michael Douglas’ portrait of a man catapulted into the abyss after being fired Falling down is part of the movie iconography as he goes on a killing spree and tries to rid the world of what he sees as its impurities. Evolved in what appears to be a psychotic mania, Foster (Douglas) is showing all the signs of a man pushed to his limits by societal transgressions.
The succession of unfortunate and irritating events that led to Foster’s breakdown are all, in isolation, minor inconveniences, but in the context of how his life has evolved, the petty woes of broken air conditioning, an overpriced Coke and too short be exchanged. all built to the straw that broke the camel’s back when we looked at the bigger picture. Just because of the performance of Michael Douglas, Falling down is a sensational vigilante movie, even if the vigilante ideologies are a little skewed.
1 V for Vendetta
“This brave visit to a bygone torment is alive and sworn to vanquish this corrupt and malevolent vermin that guards vice and vouches for the violent vicious and voracious violation of will!” This phrase uttered by the masked V in James McTeigue’s dystopian action thriller, V for Vendetta, is possibly the most extreme form of alliterative dialogue in film history. Aside from breaking the record for managing to cram the largest collection of V-beginning nouns and adjectives into one sentence (kudos to screenwriters, Lily and Lana Wachowski), the 2006 vigilante film is a graphic representation of the living under a futuristic and fascist, totalitarian state.
The mysterious V, played by Hugh Weaving, does his best to impersonate Guy Fawkes, an anarchist, vigilante and lone wolf who takes it upon himself to challenge the dogged extremism of the dictatorship that oppresses him and his fellow citizens. while calling on his people to rise up against the regime. The film adaptation of Alan Moore’s novel of the same name makes for a captivating viewing experience as V and his adopted sidekick, Evey (Natalie Portman), take us viewers and wayward henchmen along for the ride.