Streetfighters (1982)

Streetfighters: Directed by William Lustig. With Robert Forster, Fred Williamson, Richard Bright, Rutanya Alda. After his wife and son got brutalized by a street gang, and a corrupt criminal justice system puts the perpetrators back on the street, a NYC factory worker teams up with a vigilante group to find some measure of bloody justice.

“Director William Lustigu0026#39;s stirring low-cost vigilante picture is something a little more than your exploitative gung-ho revenge story, as while the material is lank and far-fetched its still implodes with some minor goods. Honestly the first time I came across it, I was left under whelmed and this can be attributed to the direction it went. The story has two sub-plots running, which would eventually come together, but the focus on one over the other really destroyed what could have a lasting impression. On one side of the coin has a small group of local vigilanteu0026#39;s led by Nick (an inspired Fred Williamson) cleaning up punks that the law doesnu0026#39;t seem to want to touch and on the other side of the coin follows that of Eddie Marino (Robert Forster), a working class New Yorker coming home to find his wife has been brutally beaten and toddler killed. Heu0026#39;s approached by Nick to join their cause, but refuses to let the justice system hand out the law, but after those who were responsible for the attack is left off with nothing but a slap on the wrists. It sees Eddie take it upon himself to hand out the punishment.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe constant shifts in the story seemed to get in the way of cooking any real sort of emotional hold. The cult actors do the best with what they got. Robert Forsteru0026#39;s streamlined, if cold approach works and Fred Williamsonu0026#39;s full-blooded bad-ass portrayal is nothing thatu0026#39;s unexpected. Don Blakely and Willie Colon make for great, nasty pair of thugs. Also in the line-up are Richard Bright, Rutanya Alda, Joseph Carberry, Steve James and Carol Lynley. In brief, but welcoming inclusions are Woody Strode and Joe Spinell as a scummy lawyer.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe material is quite heavy-handed in what itu0026#39;s got to say on a flawed justice system, as Williamson spits out speeches about not living in fear and eventually the line between right and wrong is blurred. In the end donu0026#39;t read too much in to it. Lustigu0026#39;s pacing is on the spot and direction suitably controlled, as while not overly explicit it manages to have a brutal and gritty pulse. There are some intense interplays, and a disturbing moment or two, but in the end itu0026#39;s not particularly gripping like I would have hoped. Itu0026#39;s quite underplayed in that department. Jay Chattawayu0026#39;s thumping score has a blaring sting and harrowing cloud that effectively balances the moods.”