New Wave of Vigilante Films

[Brendan]

Isn't it interesting to see so many more vigilante films come out right around the time that the next Punisher movie starts filming?

I'm mostly talking about The Brave One and Death Sentence, not sure if there are any others out right now. Please point them out to me if you know of any others.


But Has 2007 felt like an unsafe year? There have been a couple of instances in the past several months that almost hit pretty close to home for me, especially with Virginia Tech since I have a friend who goes there. Has there been enough going on lately to spark an interest in people wanting to see movies about people who take the law into their own hands?

 

[Mr. Sinister05]

Well, fear can definitely drive some people (although most of these people probably aren't too reasonable) to wish for vigalante justice. I guess maybe Hollywood could start recruiting more people who like to fantasize about this sort of stuff actually happening and create more films with a narrative view that encourages vigilanti justice.

Anyway, off subject I was wondering if that's you pictured on that Avatar. For some reason it kind of reminds me of the Joker (no offense).

 

[Brendan]

Anyway, off subject I was wondering if that's you pictured on that Avatar. For some reason it kind of reminds me of the Joker (no offense).

Yes, it is me. And Yes, it is me as the Joker.

Anyways, both The Brave One and Death Sentence seem to be loosely based on Death Wish. On the wikipedia page for Brave One it says:

The film is mainly a re-make of the 1974 movie, Death Wish. It also uses the famous subway scene.

And for Death Sentence it says that the movie is loosely based on the sequel-novel to the Death Wish novel by Brian Garfield.


The Brave One looks like it's target audience might be middle aged women who are afraid of getting mugged at night. Death Sentence looks like it would appeal more to younger males but it is also about how far a father is willing to go to protect his family.


Vigilantism was pretty big in pop culture in the 70's and its interesting to see it be revived again now. But these two new films have lead protagonists who are everyday ordinary people who are driven over the edge by crimes committed against their families. They're not loner cops, alienated cab drivers or military veterans. They're people who look like they can be your mom or dad and I find that kind of interesting.

 

[Mr. Sinister05]

Yeah, it's far too real. I mean look how some people's attitudes suddenly change during a time of war? One moment you'll find some of these people saying how a country should take every measure to make sure that they don't go to war. Then the next moment it's possible to find some of these same people suddenly start justifying the war once it's begun and wiping out one's enemy by any means possible.

It can be the same with vigilanteism. One moment you'll find an ordinary person blindly follow the system behind law and order but once they're tested by a threatening event/news, it's now time to start following thier own moral compass and that can sometimes be pretty disturbing.

By the way, glad to hear that you were trying to dress up as the Joker. I was starting to wonder who I was talking to.