My quick rating - 5.8/10. This is one of those flix I recall watching on our "Showtime" box when I was around 10 years old. Out of curiosity, I'll have to check it out and see if it was any good since it happened to pop up. AH, the early 80s and having the balls to blast a 5-year-old kid with a shotgun. New York City factory worker Eddie Marino (Robert Forster) is a solid citizen and regular guy, until the day a sadistic street gang brutally assaults his wife and murders his child. When a corrupt judge sets the thugs free, Eddie goes berserk and vows revenge. Clearly, the highlight, at least for me, was Fred Williamson who always plays the "I don't take shit from anyone" role so damn well. It had a feel similar to the 70s Italian police flix I have seen. Except the brutal cops were replaced with vigilantes dispensing their form of justice. All the bases were touched upon including the more suggestive than visual rape scene, the hint at the old attack in the shower shots, and some brains splattered on the sidewalk. I found the fight scenes pretty poor though including one during an interrogation that was almost confusing due to the lack of what the combatants were doing. It is refreshing to go back to car chases that are completely done with cars on actual roads even if they are very dated vehicles. Each time there is contact, you know fully well that metal has been bent and damaged not pixels. This film even includes a scene that felt like early parkour on some rooftops. For the time it may have been a true contender for its violent nature and straight, to the point, revenge story. I found it dated in both good and bad ways but still was entertained until the end. I did find it to resemble the excellent Death Wish films quite a bit and I am sure it owes at least some mention to them. At this point, I would say it is catering to a limited audience but if you fit into it, I think you'll enjoy seeing a piece of cinema that leads the way for other revenge flix that arose for years to follow.
It can pop up for you on these streamers as well.
Comments