Law Un-Abiding Citizens: Revenge Films That Walk The Same Path As ‘Death Wish’

“Death Sentence (2007)”
Based on Brian Garfield’s actual sequel novel to “Death Wish,” James Wan’s first foray out of horror territory is decidedly mixed at best. Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) is an executive who goes Paul Kersey on criminals after his eldest son is murdered in a gas station robbery. The setup is nearly identical to “Death Wish,” and Bacon is absolutely going above and beyond to sell the material, but Wan can’t quite get a grasp on the tonal shifts between drama and extreme violence, resulting in scenes (albeit with very bad musical cues) that feel more melodramatic than authentically gloom and gritty. While the film’s editing is stuck in the quick-cut MTV mold, Wan does show the same visual flair that served him well with “Furious 7” (and hopefully will for “Aquaman”). And while he is completely chewing the scenery, John Goodman shows up as a criminal ringleader, and while his dialogue is often reprehensible, he is having a blast that’s difficult to not enjoy.

“Super (2010)”
“An eye for an eye” goes all the way back to The Bible, and The Bible (or, more specifically, Nathan Fillion’s cheap, cable TV superhero “The Holy Avenger”) is exactly what influences Frank Darbo (Rainn Wilson) to don a red suit and take on criminals — notably the ones who have taken his wife (Liv Tyler) — as “The Crimson Bolt.”James Gunn’s sophomore film is unabashedly off-putting, following the template of a superhero origin story with a sadsack, unlikable protagonist and juxtaposing the superhero “fantasy” with extremely over-the-top violence. As perfectly cast as Wilson is, the film’s true superstar is Ellen Page as Libby (aka “Boltie,” a comic book enthusiast who gets off (literally) at the idea of becoming a superhero). “Super” is a grab-bag of ideas and boundaries ready to be pushed, and while not everything works, Gunn’s go-for-broke approach to the material is exciting, and is a very strong takedown of the idea of self-proclaimed righteous vigilantism.

“Hobo With a Shotgun (2011)”
Based on his faux trailer that played in front of Canadian showings of “Grindhouse,” Jason Eisner’s first feature-length film is an exploitation throwback that is as blunt and no-frills as its title. Rutger Hauer plays the titular hobo, who is saving money to buy a lawnmower from a pawn shop in order to get some honest work. But, when he just can’t take the crime in the city anymore, he takes his money and buys a shotgun instead. Despite being shot on a RED, Eisner uses certain filters and extreme color saturation to match the type of films that inspired it. There are certain moments in the film that overstep its boundaries, even for a scuzzy B-movie, but there’s no denying that whether it’s “Blade Runner,” “Blind Fury,” or this that Rutger Hauer is a class-act who 100% commits to the material he’s given, no matter how silly it may be.

“God Bless America (2012)”
After making “World’s Greatest Dad,” a spot-on satire about how death can immortalize you and repent your sins, even if you did unforgivable things, Bobcat Goldthwait’s follow-up takes a broader turn. Frank (Joel Murray) — a terminally ill milquetoast — is fed up with society’s bottom-dwellers, and decides to take a cross-country road trip to rid society of its scum. It’s essentially “Natural Born Killers” with somewhat of a moral compass, which simultaneously makes it a less hateful film, but a less interesting one too. Results may vary as to whether or not the film is successful, but Murray and Tara Lynn Barre are terrific and play well off one-another. And, whether it has you laughing in disbelief, completely disgusted, or both, any film that makes the choice to open the way this one does has to at least be accommodated for the brass balls it takes to do such a thing.

“I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore (2017)”
“Blue Ruin” breakout Macon Blair made his directorial debut last year, and if “Blue Ruin” was his and Jeremy Saulnier’s “Blood Simple,” then this is Blair’s “Raising Arizona,” in terms of tone. Lighter than “Blue Ruin,” but still darkly comic and at times brutally violent, “I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore” is an apt title for our current times. Melanie Lynskey plays Ruth, who teams up with her eccentric neighbor (Elijah Wood) to find the perpetrator who broke into her house and stole her silverware, and to request that, “people not be assholes.” It’s a small-scale revenge movie that does very little in terms of story to distinguish itself from other films on this list, but strongly makes up for it by Lynskey’s terrific performance, Wood’s freedom to let loose and goof off, and the relatable feeling of being fed up with all of the terrible people in the world.