Blu-ray Review: A Vigilante

This week marked the Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital release of the drama-thriller A Vigilante ($22.98; R; 91 minutes). Written and directed by Sarah Daggar-Nickson, the film first premiered at South by Southwest in 2018. Saban Films picked up the U.S. distribution rights and released the film earlier this year.

The film stars Olivia Wilde as Sadie, a woman who had barely escaped the wrath of her abusive husband (played by Morgan Spector). Unfortunately, her young son was killed during the aftermath. Since that night, her husband has went off the grid and is on the run from the authorities.

Still grieving and broken, Sadie teaches herself boxing, martial arts, and other survival skills. She uses these new abilities to help protect other battered women and abused children.

The only Special Feature on the Blu-ray is the featurette Catharsis: Creating A Vigilante. The Blu-ray does come with a DVD and a Digital code.

Final Thoughts

A Vigilante has an interesting premise, but the execution feels a bit uneven. The writer/director Sarah Daggar-Nickson should have focused solely on the revenge plot and dropped "helping strangers" story as it ruins off the film's pacing. I found a bit unbelievable that the main character learned how to fight from a book in a short period of time. There should have been a few scenes showing her working out in actual gym instead of punching a drawer dresser in a motel room. Olivia Wilde's performances is the best thing about this movie.

The picture and sound quality are both excellent on the Blu-ray. It would have been nice to have more special features, such as commentaries and deleted scenes.

Overall, A Vigilante is a slow thriller that suffers from a poorly written script. If you're a fan of Olivia Wilde, then you're probably going to love her performance.