Vigilante Diaries

Film Review by Kam Williams

 

Ex-Black Op Agents Go Rogue in High Body-Count Revenge Thriller

Vigilante Diaries is a movie that's hard to pigeonhole only because it doesn't have a coherent plotline. What I can say with confidence is that this balls-out action flick features a high attrition-rate as well a measure of eroticized violence for folks who like to be titillated while satiating their bloodlust.

At the picture's point of departure in 2005, we find members of a Special-Ops team already embroiled in a deadly shootout overseas with Armenian mobsters. They accomplish the dangerous mission, namely, freeing a mysterious figure known as The Vigilante (Paul Sloan), leaving bodies strewn all over the place in the process.

Fast-forward to the present and we find Mike Hanover (Jason Mewes) now searching for the psychos who killed his brother, namely, The Vigilante and his sidekick, The Kid (Kevin L. Walker). What ensues might best be described as a gruesome snuff flick with a good sense of humor. 
 
There's an abundance of excellent acting by guys who know how to die on screen. One gunshot victim, is more concerned about his ruined suit than his wounds, yelling "Yo, mother-[expletive], this is Gucci!" at his attacker.

Without any logic or explanation, the revenge theme eventually morphs into a terrorist scenario. Suddenly, we have a character called Barrington (Michael Jai White) talking about somebody being offered a billion dollars to set off nuclear IED's all over L.A.

Despite the fact that this high-octane thriller never made any sense, I must confess that it held me in its thrall from start to finish purely on the strength of the over-stimulation of its incessant visual capture.



Good (2 stars)
Rated R for sexuality, nudity, graphic violence and pervasive profanity
In English and Armenian with subtitles
Running time: 108 minutes
Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment


To see a trailer for Vigilante Diaries, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl3cEhULgsQ