John Doe: Vigilante (2014)

John Doe: Vigilante: Directed by Kelly Dolen. With Jamie Bamber, Lachy Hulme, Gary Abrahams, Sam Parsonson. An ordinary man fights violence the only way he knows how – by killing one criminal at a time. Hero or villain? Justice or vengeance? You decide.

“Having recently watched a Battlestar Galactica marathon, I must confess that the only reason this little movie caught my eye was that Jamie Bamber was in it. As I often enjoy watching what TV actors do after their successful years I must say that this was an experience I did not expect. From the start, the movie throws the audience right in the plot. Jamie Bamber plays a serial killer vigilante that enjoys increasing popularity among the general public. Things unravel in a straight forward manner with the occasional twist. The amount of detail in composing the shots was generally way above a movie with that budget level. It is one of those films where the graphic violence is felt very intensely instead of just being gory, thereby giving away a very gritty and dark feeling. The performance of Jamie Bamber is exceptionally intense. Some might call it over the top but in the context of the movie it delivers very well. The story is endearing to the point that I was grapped right away and wanted to know how it all unravelled. It carries quite a lot of social commentary if you want to be open about those things. If not, it can still be watched as a genre piece that entertains. In comparison with Law Abiding Cititzen with Gerald Butler, an A-list movie with a quite similar general setup, I clearly favor John Doe: Vigilante. It feels way more real and carries more impact. In general, I can recommend the movie to all that like dark, gritty, and intense films and do not have a problem with large amounts of violence.”