A Vigilante (2018) Reviews

• An interesting character study

  armanzk2019-04-05

  I just finished watching it, and right off the bat, I can say that it was very unique. Not just Olivia Wilde's acting was fantastic, but so were every other single actor in the movie. Olivia definitely showed her incredible acting skills in this, making it her best on-screen performance in my opinion. The tag lines weren't exaggerating there. But if you've read or heard somewhere that this is a "fight-packed action thriller," it's not (it may be described as this just because it is an unmarketable movie, so they have to make it appealing enough to get people to watch.) I personally enjoyed the movie a lot. It certainly requires a viewer with patience and an appreciation of film. It's a slow movie like everyone says, but that doesn't mean it's boring. I think we can all agree that a slow movie is NOT necessarily a bad thing (eg Blade Runner 2049, Sicario, etc). This is really a director thing, and for this movie, it wasn't boring-slow. It was artsy-slow. It's rather short and lackluster, and I actually wish there was more to see. The funny thing is that there is no action in this at all, but the intensity and emotional drama was very present. Halfway into the movie, it really shows. It has a tad bit of a score, but it was really good and thrilling. The locations were very nice, the cinematography was good, and the story was special. Why special? Because it's not about a woman beating up bad men - not at ALL. (It's not just a husband against wife, but also mom against kids, father against kids). It's about a woman who has been physically and mentally broken by her experience of extreme abuse, and we see in her private moments the constant pain, sadness, and anger that she keeps inside of her. What she chooses to do with her life as a coping mechanism is to help others like her who go through some form of domestic abuse by fighting for them. The key thing here is that she's not fighting with her fists in the movie as much as you'd expect (it's not Peppermint), and she doesn't use a gun like in action movies. She's hitting back at the abusers with her intimidation, resilience, and strength. The way the movie shows the confrontations is through very brief and silent scenes. You definitely see her physically fight at some point, but you mostly see the after-effects and not some Jason Bourne action sequence. What you see most of from this movie is Sadie's (Olivia Wilde) personal struggles (which you'll learn the reasons for), the coping process (which differs for each person), and Sadie's path to peace (the best part of the movie's plot that makes it thrilling). I just can't say what happens exactly. I thought the ending was satisfactory, and all in all, it's not really a movie to see with friends or family. It's an observational lens into a gray area that we don't really want to see or be in. Even though the premise is fairly simple and not blockbuster-quality by all means, it's a well-done film. I just wish there was more to it because it could've been close to 2 hours and featured more action - as a guilty pleasure but also because Olivia Wilde trained physically hard, and I wish she could've displayed that more. Go in it open-minded. You'll either like it, or hate it, or think "eh." It depends on who you are and what you like. It's a tough watch, but it was nice to see and to be exposed to.

• Tough to Review, tougher to watch

  Brattsy2019-03-29

  I think some of the other reviewers were expecting Death Wish or Taken 4. That's not this movie. This story is about abuse survivors. It's about what it takes to break free. It has some powerful moments that make your stomach drop and your heart ache. They felt real to me. Several times, I found myself wondering if they hadn't cast real victims retelling their stories. That's how good it is in that portion. But this is a slow film, so slow that I almost pulled out my phone to do stuff. That's never a good thing. I dropped my stars to a 6 because of that. If I were more honest, the story is more of a 5, but I bumped it up to a 7 because of the acting. It really is phenomenal, imo.

• Jaw dropping performance by Olivia Wilde

  carolrubi2019-03-31

  When came upon this film I didn't expect Wilde's mind-blowing performance. Her portrayal of Sadie, a domestic abuse survivor, was so raw and vulnerable but at the same time incredibly powerful. It truly showed the truth behind the saying, you don't know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have. Dagger managed to capture moments that didn't stay far away from reality. It showed real and true emotion.

• Olivia Wilde was made for this

  lizshotter-194012019-04-04

  It's great to see a film that deals with such subject matter in such a stark and realistic way. Films like peppermint do little to elevate tired approaches of women fighting back, as they're so unrealistic they're laughable, but this film is so different to that. Olivia Wilde shines in this role, as the wounded healer who helps women and children escape the war zones of "domestic" (hate that phrase) violence, and fleeing her own abusive husband. It's an understated, yet powerful, portrayal of a widely under reported blight on society. It's a shame this film hasn't received the attention and acclaim it deserves, as it's fraught with tension throughout, presents in an empathic and sensitive way and is really engaging. Interpersonal violence is still a misunderstood and under resourced issue that hasn't ever been tackled effectively, certainly not in the uk. We are losing 3 women and 2 children a week to their perpetrators, yet are losing shelters every month that could save lives. Films like this explore the possibility of a world where it could be different.

• Powerful

  moorestahl2019-04-06

  One very tense and powerful movie from start to finish.