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Vigilante film

Film genre based on revenge theme From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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).[1]

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.[2] 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).[2]

List of films

Pre-1965 vigilante films

More information Film, Year ...
Film Year Ref.
Tracked by Bloodhounds; or, A Lynching at Cripple Creek1904
The White Caps1905[3]
The Birth of a Nation1915
Judex1916
The Adventures of Robin Hood1938[4]
The Mark of Zorro 1940
The Ox-Bow Incident1943[5]
The Big Heat 1953 [6]
The Bravados1958[7]
The Virgin Spring1960[8]
Treasure of Silver Lake1962[9]
Youth of the Beast1963[10]
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Late-60s to mid-80s vigilante film wave

More information Film, Year ...
Film Year Ref.
The Sons of Katie Elder1965[11]
The Elusive Avengers1967[12]
The Born Losers1967[13]
Death Rides a Horse1967[14]
The Bride Wore Black1968
The Wild Bunch1969[15]
Cold Sweat1970[16]
Joe1970
Ned Kelly1970[17]
Violent City1970
Billy Jack1971[18]
Chrome and Hot Leather1971
Dirty Harry1971[2]
Straw Dogs1971
Shaft1971[19]
Execution Squad1972
Ulzana's Raid1972[15]
Female Prisoner 701: Scorpion1972[20]
The No Mercy Man1973[21]
Coffy1973
The Violent Professionals1973
Magnum Force 1973
Revolver1973
Robin Hood1973[22]
Thriller – A Cruel Picture1973
Walking Tall1973[23]
What Have They Done to Your Daughters?1974
Death Wish1974[2]
Street Law1974
Foxy Brown1974
Three the Hard Way1974
The Street Fighter1974
The Black Six1974[24]
Black Belt Jones1974[25]
Act of Vengeance1974[26]
The Black Gestapo1975
Syndicate Sadists1975
The Common Man1975
Kidnap Syndicate1975
Manhunt in the City1975
The "Human" Factor1975
The Big Racket1976
Taxi Driver1976[2]
Colt 38 Special Squad1976
Vigilante Force1976
Zebra Force1976
The Enforcer1976
Lipstick1976
Strange Shadows in an Empty Room1976
Trial by Combat1976
Keoma1976[27]
The Outlaw Josey Wales1976[28]
Mad Dog Morgan1976[29]
Brotherhood of Death1976[30]
An Average Little Man1977
Double Game1977
Rolling Thunder1977[31]
I Spit on Your Grave1978[22]
A Dangerous Toy1979
Mad Max1979[32]
Defiance1980
The Exterminator1980[2]
Ms. 451981
Lovely But Deadly1981[33]
Death Wish II1982
Krodham1982
Fighting Back1982
1990: The Bronx Warriors1982[34]
First Blood1982[35]
Burst City1983[36]
The Graduates of Malibu High1983
The Star Chamber1983
Sudden Impact1983
Escape from the Bronx1983[37]
Vigilante1983[15]
Alley Cat1984
The Toxic Avenger1984[38]
Exterminator 21984
Savage Streets1984
Streets of Fire1984[39]
Blastfighter1984[40]
Death Wish 31985
Naked Vengeance1985
The Last Dragon1985[41]
Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except1985[42]
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Late 1980s to 2000s

More information Film, Year ...
Film Year Ref.
The Gladiator1986[22]
The Seventh Curse1986[43]
Death Wish 4: The Crackdown1987
Man on Fire1987
Rolling Vengeance1987[22]
Miami Connection1987[44]
Her Vengeance1988
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka1988[45]
Pumpkinhead1988[46]
Traxx1988[47]
Batman1989
The Punisher1989[48]
Darkman1990
Total Recall1990[49]
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves1991[50]
Escape (1991 film)1991
Falling Down1993[22]
The Crow1994[22]
Dark Angel: The Ascent1994[51]
Death Wish V: The Face of Death1994
Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie1995
Blood and Donuts1995[52]
One Tough Bastard1995[53]
Rumble in the Bronx1995
A Time to Kill1996[2]
Eye for an Eye1996[2]
Night Hunter1996[54]
Spawn1997[55]
Blade1998[56]
The Boondock Saints1999[23]
Shaft2000
Faust: Love of the Damned2000[57]
Collateral Damage2002[58]
Spider-Man2002[59]
Kill Bill2003[22]
A Man Apart2003[15]
The Hebrew Hammer2003[60]
Hellboy2004
Walking Tall2004[2]
The Punisher2004[15]
Man on Fire2004[61]
Saw2004
Bad Reputation2005[62]
Batman Begins2005[23]
Constantine2005[63]
Sin City2005
Anniyan2005
Four Brothers2005[15]
Saw II2005
V for Vendetta2005[23]
Munich2005[15]
Hard Candy2006[64]
Death Note2006
Saw III2006
El Muerto2007[65]
Death Sentence2007[2]
The Brave One2007[2]
Urban Justice2007
Saw IV2007
Gutterballs2008[66]
Taken2008[22]
The Horseman2008
The Dark Knight2008[61]
Saw V2008
Gran Torino2008[23]
Punisher: War Zone2008
Watchmen2009[22]
Inglourious Basterds2009[2]
Defendor2009[67]
Harry Brown2009[23]
Law Abiding Citizen2009[2]
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day2009
Saw VI2009
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2010s to the present

More information Film, Year ...
Film Year Ref.
Kick-Ass2010[68]
22 Bullets2010[69]
Super2010[22]
Batman: Under the Red Hood2010[70]
The Man from Nowhere2010[71]
Machete2010[22]
13 Assassins2010[72]
Saw 3D2010
Red: Werewolf Hunter2010[73]
Faster2010[22]
Drive Angry2011[74]
Hobo with a Shotgun2011[22]
Drive2011
Gallowwalkers2012[75]
Scary or Die2012[76]
The Amazing Adventures of the Living Corpse2012[77]
The Amazing Spider-Man2012[22]
The Dark Knight Rises2012[22]
Bad Ass2012
Taken 22012
Fire with Fire2012[78]
The Man with the Iron Fists2012[79]
Django Unchained2012
The Last Stand2013
Snitch2013
Prisoners2013[80]
Avenged2013[81]
Kick-Ass 22013[82]
The Outlaw Michael Howe2013[83]
Skin Trade2014[84]
John Wick2014
John Doe: Vigilante2014
In Order of Disappearance2014
The Equalizer2014[85]
Mr. X2015
Taken 32015
Vendetta2015
Elle2016
I Am Wrath2016
The Accountant2016
Vengeance: A Love Story2017
The Foreigner2017
Jigsaw2017
Burning2018
Peppermint2018
The Equalizer 22018
Death Wish2018
Mandy2018[86]
War2019
Rambo: Last Blood2019[87]
6 Underground2019
Birds of Prey2020
Promising Young Woman2020
Nobody2021[88]
Spiral: From the Book of Saw2021
Wrath of Man2021
The Protégé2021
The Batman2022
The Baker2022
The Equalizer 32023
Jawan2023
Boy Kills World2023
The Toxic Avenger2023
Saw X2023
The Beekeeper2024
Monkey Man2024
The Crow2024
Rebel Ridge2024
Locked2025
A Working Man2025
The Amateur2025
The Accountant 22025
Havoc2025
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina2025
Nobody 22025[89]
Shelter2026
Is God Is2026
Citizen Vigilante2026
The Beekeeper 22027
The Batman: Part II2028
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See also

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