The Top 10 Best Movie Vigilantes
When Movie Cops Fail, Movie Vigilantes Take Over.
Movie vigilantes help to make us all feel a little less helpless. There are a lot of bad people in the world, and these days they seem to constantly be getting away with horrendous crimes. When the police are helpless to give us justice, who do we turn to? That’s why this week I’m looking at the best movie vigilantes. The main rule I’m following for this list is that I’m not picking any comic book characters. The people on this list don’t wear capes and don’t have special powers to help them along the way. The other rule is that these have to be people taking the law into their own hands. That means no cops playing it fast and loose (Dirty Harry) and no people getting paid for their work. Instead, I’m focusing on movie characters that are more concerned about justice than the law. It was tough narrowing this list down to just 10 vigilantes, but I feel confident that only the best made it on here. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments below though!
10. Nick Hume- Death Sentence
Kevin Bacon really kicked off the revival of his acting career in the James Wan thriller Death Sentence. In it, he plays a man whose son is killed by a gang member going through initiation. Of course, the cops prove to be useless, so he has to take the law into his own hands, which is why he’s kicking off this vigilantes list. While so many other characters might come across as brutal and efficient killing machines, Nick is a far cry from that. He’s not some former soldier or cop, he’s just a businessman. That doesn’t mean that the bad guys should relax because even the weakest man has enough strength to kill the strongest. Nick might not be the most graceful of the vigilantes on this list, but he sure as hell gets the job done.
9. Erica Bane- The Brave One
I guess 2007 was a good year for vigilantes because both The Brave One and Death Sentence hit theaters that year. Most movie vigilantes are guys, but there are still more than a few characters out there who break the cliche. Erica suffers a horrible tragedy at the hands of three punks who attack her and her fiance in the park. She manages to get a hold of a gun and uses it to overcome her fear. Once she gets a taste for it though, she pulls out all the stops as she starts to clean up the streets of New York. Of course, her greatest quarry are the three men who attacked her that fateful night and soon she finds herself hot on their trail. Erica is a shining example of a woman pushed too far.
8. Riley North- Peppermint
It turns out hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. As far as movie vigilantes go, Jennifer Garner proves that she’s got what it takes to take down those that the law is too scared to go after. While most people would fall apart after their family was murdered, Riley devoted herself to getting revenge on the cartel that thinks they’re untouchable. It turns out that they are very touchable and Riley touches them in all the wrong ways. She’s a woman of few words, which is perfect because who wants a preachy vigilante? Not only is Riley a total nightmare for the cartel that crossed her, but she also makes sure to take time to give back to the community by brutalizing those that would go after the weak and vulnerable society has forgotten. That’s why this angel of death managed to earn a spot on this list.
7. Paul Kersey- Death Wish (1974)
As much as Bruce Willis probably wishes he was on this list, I’m going to have to go with Charles Bronson on this one. Kersey finds himself in the middle of a nightmare when his wife and son are attacked by three criminals. Being your typical well-adjusted male, he gets himself a gun and heads off into the night. He’s easily one of the most famous movie vigilantes because he caused such a stir when he first hit the big screen. Crime was pretty bad at the time and Death Wish’s staunch support of vigilantism caused quite the debate. Still, I’m not here to tell you which vigilantes were doing it for the right or wrong reasons, I’m just here to tell you who some of the best were.
6. Driver- Drive
Ever heard the old saying, “all bark and no bite”? Well, you don’t have to worry about that when it comes to the mysterious vigilante from Drive. Simply known as Driver, he sets out on a path of cold-blooded retribution to protect a little girl and her mother from a brutal crime lord who has his eyes set on her recently paroled father. After getting mixed up with the wrong people while trying to help the father, Driver has no choice but to take the law into his own hands in order to protect the innocent. What makes Driver so memorable is that he’s the calm before the storm. On the surface, he’s placid and almost serene, but underneath rages a brutal storm that is finally unleashed on the mobsters that threaten him and those he cares about.