There’s hardly a dearth of vigilante movies on the market, but finding one where a woman takes on injustice still requires a bit of digging. For every The Brave One and Coffy, there are ten films about men breaking the law for the right reasons, and when we do get a female-fronted one, it’s often filtered through a male perspective. Are women just not as into vigilantism? Do we go about it in ways that aren’t as cinematic as punching someone in the face? Or is it just one of those things women are blocked from due to stereotypical ideas of femininity in film?
Unfair or not, these are all considerations that A Vigilante must deal with, as a female directed, written, and starring vigilante movie must wrestle with expectations in a way male-led films of this ilk can largely ignore. Revenge had to do much the same thing last year, and besides leaning on titles that tell you exactly what each film is about, they also share a baked in feminism that makes the gender of their protagonists absolutely essential.
A Vigilante does this by framing the story around a woman breaking others free from domestic abuse, a crime that is predominately perpetrated by men. Having Olivia Wilde show up to right these wrongs is a layered statement in and of itself, one that the film thrives on and at the same time doesn’t take full advantage of.
Navigating The Genre
There’s something I should be up front about: I’m a hard sell on these types of movies. Revenge films draw more of my ire, but vigilantism isn’t far off the tunnel vision pain and unfettered brutality that often thoughtlessly drive these genre pieces. Our seemingly endless appetite for films about lashing out always strikes me as a reflection of culturally accepted self-obsession, which excuses putting your needs and your pain before the larger good in all sorts of destructive ways. Feeding these instincts through film feels detrimental to me, so these movies have to present a damn good reason for their character’s behavior before I can get on board.
Writer and director Sarah Daggar-Nickson keyed in on pretty good reasoning with the domestic abuse backdrop, making no bones about the behavior being targeted and the toll that the crusading takes on Olivia Wilde’s Sadie. This is no joyous romp where terrible people get their comeuppance; Sadie takes each call for help soberly, with business-like preparation and execution. If anything, she is too in control, and it is immediately clear from her demeanor that the cuts and bruises are the least of the damage being done.
The psychological and financial traps of domestic abuse will be apparent to the educated viewer, as will the lack of safety nets that make a vigilante almost necessary to correct these situations, but the film doesn’t really dig into these particulars with great depth. It’s a hard balance to find, hinting at such a multifaceted issue without getting too caught up in explaining the ins and outs, but a bit more is needed to really clarify why Sadie needs to take such actions. This mishandled balancing act is the biggest giveaway that Daggar-Nickson is rather new to filmmaking (this is her first feature), but the downfall is mostly covered by an all-in lead performance.
Olivia Wilde Brings The Heat
As the methodically dangerous Sadie, Wilde is asked to embody the simmering tension of the film, appearing in nearly every frame and burdened with conveying this standoffish but complex character to the audience. Maybe all that pressure was a good thing, though, because this character isn’t really supposed to feel comfortable in her skin.
Wilde’s resume hinted that she could handle the mentality of this character, what with her long run as the secretive Thirteen on House and intense movies roles like the grief-stricken mother in Meadowland. For anyone familiar with her work, it’s probably unsurprising that her eyes capture one’s attention, flickering and flaring as private thoughts pass unspoken. Daggar-Nickson must have picked up on this, too, as she leans on steady looks of Wilde’s face during key emotional moments.
What’s more surprising is her physicality, with Sadie spending much of the first half of the film moving from call to call and going against several men twice her size. The krav maga training Wilde did as prep shows, and these scenes play out without feeling staged.
It’s a remarkably rounded performance from Wilde, the best I’ve seen of her career, and it leaves me wanting to see her used more in unexpected roles like this.
A New, Exciting Eye
Outside of her good instincts with Wilde, the best thing Daggar-Nickson brings to A Vigilante is the good sense of what to show and not show, including some excellent framing, cutting, and yes, even some sly humor.
The opening of the film makes this apparent, as establishing shots and a cryptic voicemail gives way to Sadie putting in some time with a punching bag. It’s an odd contrast between several quick shots and a long, patient one, and it allows the audience’s instant confusion to amp up into the film’s baseline tension through Sadie’s increasingly furious punching.
From there, the grim brutality is suggested more than seen, deftly sidestepping any glorification of this dirty business. In fact, the film often breaks momentum to pop into support groups of domestic violence, implanting motivations that, if they had been more fully explored, might have coalesced its hanging ideas about the weakness of isolation and the strength of asking for help.
Still, these break ground in ideas instead of excitement, making it clear that this is no empty genre exercise. It comes off as tough but not overwhelming, violent but not punishing. That’s thanks to Daggar-Nickson’s intelligent handling of the material, which makes me excited to see how her career develops.
Conclusion: A Vigilante
Even as it skims a bit too lightly over its complex themes, A Vigilante manages to capture a resilience and toughness that often goes unhailed on film. Those expecting an action-packed genre film may be disappointed, but those who crave a bit more meat on these stories will walk away with something to chew on.
What are your thoughts on A Vigilante? Do you typically like vigilante movies? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below!
A Vigilante was released in the US on March 29th, 2019 and will be released in the UK on May 31st, 2019.
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