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For many people, the cinematic vigilante has been shaped by Charles Bronson's character in Death Wish and its sequels. But screen vigilantes have taken many guises, from Old West lynch mobs and rogue police officers to rape-avengers and military-trained equalizers.
This book recounts the varied representations of such characters in films like The Birth of a Nation, which celebrated the violence of the Ku Klux Klan, and Taxi Driver, Falling Down and You Were Never Really Here, in which the vigilante impulse was symptomatic of mental instability. Also considered is the extent to which fictional vigilantism functions as social commentary and to what degree it is simply stoking popular fears.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
One.¿Hang 'Em High: Rough Justice in the Western
Two.¿Mobs and Coppers: Fear and Loathing in Crime and Social-Problem Films
Three.¿Judge, Jury and Executioner: Death Wish Through the Ages
Four.¿Power to the People: The Golden Age of Vigilante Cinema
Five.¿Across the Thin Blue Line: Vigilantism in the Legal System
Six.¿Angels of Vengeance: Female Vigilantes
Seven.¿Everyone Must Be Held Accountable: The Vigilante Branches Out
Annotated Filmography
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
Summary
Recounts the varied representations of vigilantes in films like The Birth of a Nation, Taxi Driver, Falling Down and You Were Never Really Here. The book also considers the extent to which fictional vigilantism functions as social commentary and to what degree it is simply stoking popular fears.
