Blue Underground, with sales and distribution support provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has a new 4K film restoration of director Bill Lustig’s 1983 citizens fighting back thriller, Vigilante, starring Robert Forster and Fred Williamson, set for delivery as a new fully-loaded Blu-ray release on Mar. 22.
Somewhere between the beginning of the production (shot on Long Island in the fall of 1981) and the post-production process, filmmaker Bill Lustig (Maniac, Maniac Cop, etc.) and co-producer Andrew Garroni realized that they had a hit on their hands. The initial rush to theatrical venues in the spring of 1982 was put on hold and they took the completed film to the Cannes Film Festival for a special screening in May of that year.
The purpose of the Cannes showcase was to find a distributor with deeper pockets. Up until this point, Lustig and Garroni had one film between them, Maniac (Lustig had a couple of adult entries under the name “Billy Bagg,” but we won’t count those). This proved to be a smart move as Artists Releasing Corporation (aka: Film Ventures International) snapped it up and took it out theatrically in the spring of 1983 … it was bicycled around the country.
Collecting what was owned them was a different story. Nevertheless, the film was picked up by Vestron for VHS and over time has become something of a cult item, achieving the same status as the Charles Bronson classic, Death Wish.
As to bonus goodies, there are three, yes three, commentary options. The first teams Lustig with Garroni, the second has Lustig with cast members Robert Forster, Fred Williamson and Frank Pesce … and the third is with film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson.
There are also two featurettes — “Blue Collar Death Wish” and “Urban Western.” Plus, there are a collection TV spots, theatrical trailers and an extensive poster and still gallery.
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