Fighting Back

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with Philadelphia TV reporters viewing and broadcasting a news story about violence in society since JFK Assassination in 1963. With the increase in crime, Philadelphia is becoming unsafe. Proud Italian-American John D'Angelo (Tom Skerritt) runs a deli in town. While driving with his wife, Lisa (Patti LuPone), D'Angelo comes across a pimp known as Eldorado (Pete Richardson) brutalizing one of his prostitutes. John's wife confronts the pimp and the pimp chases the D'Angelos, ramming his car into the back of the D'Angelos' vehicle, injuring Lisa and killing their unborn baby. John's mother Vera (Gina DeAngles) is assaulted in the neighborhood.
John decides to make a stand, organizing a neighborhood patrol composed of regular citizens who are also fed up with the crime in their neighborhood. They call themselves The People's Neighborhood Patrol, or “PNP” for short. The PNP has their own uniforms consisting of blue hats and vests that have a PNP logo on them, a headquarters to take phone calls, along with vehicles all containing their PNP logo and is led by John and his best friend Vince Morelli (Michael Sarrazin), a police officer. After D'Angelo's house is burglarized and their dog is killed, the film cuts to the reporters' studio footage of Newark, New Jersey ten years after the 1967 Newark riots, self-defense classes in Beverly Hills, various target practice sessions and the Guardian Angels on patrol in New York City. With Vince's help, the police allow the PNP to patrol the neighborhood. However, the PNP seem to operate with no regard for the law and do as they please. To make their first stand and to introduce themselves to the neighborhood, the group goes to a dirty bar in town known for being a hot spot for criminals, which Eldorado and his men are known patrons of. John casually walks into the bar with the rest of the PNP behind him. John confronts the bartender (Allan Graf), trying to get answers as to who is responsible for mugging his mother. Things turn violent when the bartender laughs in John’s face, triggering an all-out brawl, but the PNP come out on top.
John and the PNP start gaining media attention, and the neighborhood starts to rally behind the PNP. The group starts taking out pimps, drug dealers, muggers, and thieves. The PNP operates above the law. John D’Angelo does what he wants, and his actions are seen as racial discrimination by a small portion of the African-American community. John D’Angelo meets with Ivanhoe Washington (Yaphet Kotto), a black leader of a similar vigilante movement. Ivanhoe presents John with the two men who mugged his mother, one of whom is white while the other is black. John beats up the black man, proving Ivanhoe’s point that John is guilty of discrimination.
With widespread media attention, John decides to run for councilman in the upcoming election. Just when things are looking good for the city, tragedy strikes when Vince is gunned down and killed at the hands of Eldorado and his men. In retaliation, John organizes a large scale attack on the park where Vince was killed. All members of the PNP head to the park, where they demand that everyone in the park clear out. When their demands are ignored, the PNP takes action, and starts clearing out the park by way of brute force. A large brawl soon erupts, and police arrive on the scene not long after. John spots Eldorado and chases after him; during the chase John is tackled and arrested by police. Eldorado manages to get away.
While meeting with Police Commissioner (Ted Ross), John is informed where Eldorado is, the Commissioner sardonically explaining that John can understand that at the moment the police are "too busy" to arrest Eldorado at the moment (in effect, inviting John to assassinate Eldorado.) When John explains he doesn't know how to thank him, the Commissioner explains that "oh yes, he does," and that his job is based on working with people, paying and collecting favors, and that John is going to owe him some big ones when he's elected.
Essentially having permission from the Commissioner to take out Eldorado, John waits patiently on the roof above Eldorado's vehicle. When Eldorado and his men enter the car, John drops a grenade though the vehicle's roof. The grenade explodes, killing everyone inside the car.
John ends up winning the election, and a large celebration with family and friends takes place inside his deli. The PNP have cleaned up the neighborhood, and crime is no more. The final scene shows children playing in the very same park that was once occupied by criminals.

Tags: murder

Review:
Streets of Philadelphia  The grim, early 80's vigilante edition.
First of all I concur with all my fellow reviewers who can't seem to fathom that "Death Vengeance" is still so underrated, unknown and unavailable on DVD.
This is a cult movie in the purest definition of the term, for crying out loud, with an acclaimed director and cast and a harshly realist subject that is applicable to all times and all big cities!
Even more so, there were most vigilante thrillers all too easily revert to crowd-pleasing violence (Charlie Bronson's "Death Wish" being the best example of this), at least "Death Vengeance" attempts to remain more rational, with ordinary characters, dramatic sub plots, politically engaged and socially relevant.
Tom Skerritt, in one of his best performances ever, stars as the Italian-American John D'Angelo who owns a deli shop in the roughest and most crime-infested neighborhood in Philadelphia.
Following a couple of dramatic incidents where his wife lost their unborn baby and his mother her ring finger, John mobilizes his fellow petrified neighbors into founding the People's Neighbourhood Patrol.
In a relatively short time, they free the park and streets around their houses of muggers, drug dealers, pimps and prostitutes and organized crime.
Even though John's family life suffers under his obsession and he often has difficulties of drawing the line between what's legal and what's not, his achievements grow increasingly important.
So important even, that the current mayor fears John to become an unbeatable rival in the next elections.
"Death Vengeance" is a strong and compelling revenge/vigilante thriller with the emphasis on character development and grim atmosphere.
The sequences where John D'Angelo confronts Ivanhoe Washington (a black volunteer who tries to keep petty criminals off the streets) are equally important as the sequences where the vigilantes battle hardcore thugs in the park.
For the real die-hard fanatics of grisly early 80's cult cinema, "Death Vengeance" has quite a lot of brutal images to offer as well, like the drug store hold-up, but the violence never becomes gratuitous or overly exploitative.
That alone is a remarkable accomplishment of director Lewis Teague ("Alligator", "Cujo").
The supportive cast is excellent as well, with Michael Sarrazin ("The Reincarnation of Peter Proud"), Yaphet Kotto ("Across 110th Street") and David "Sledge Hammer" Rasche!
Is there an online petition anywhere to release this gem on DVD that I can sign?.
More than a Death Wish Rip-off.
Why this has never been released on DVD I'll never know, especially when so much grade-z rubbish has been given the lavish 'Special Edition' treatment.
This is, quite simply, one of the finest 'revenge' genre films made and far more intelligent than most of it's type.
I mean, just take a look at the cast: Tom Skerrit, Michael Sarrazin.
These a class actors.What makes Death Vengeance so strong are the well developed characters.
You identify with them more than anything.
Paul Kersey was someone who appealed to the lowest common denominator, those who liked to cheer violent characters responding in a totally over the top fashion.
John D'Angelo seemed to be grounded more in reality, reacting in a way we can understand.
While not always sympathetic, Skerrit's performance made him believable.The film was marketed in a fairly deceptive way.
This is more than just another shoot-em-up no-brainer and deserves to be recognised as such.
Director Lewis Teague could have taken the easy option, thrown in lots of action set-pieces and had a sky-high bodycount.
Instead, he decided to engage our brains instead of our base instincts.
He, and the film need to be recognised for this.
Shame this doesn't happen more often.
See it and you will find an underrated and surprisingly thought provoking film..
Taking back the neighbourhood........
Here's an almost criminally forgotten post Death Wish gem from director Lewis Teague.Whilst perhaps not as violent, nor as rewarding purely entertainment wise as the aforementioned pinnacle of the vigilante/revenge genre, this film approaches the issue of taking the law into one's own hands in a very different (and perhaps more realistic) manner and succeeds in delivering a solid ninety or so minutes of highly gripping viewing.The always superb Tom Skerrit headlines as Michael D'Angelo, a humble greengrocer who is pushed too far by a series of brutal events and who subsequently decides to fight back by setting up a citizens patrol force in order to clean up the area in which he lives.
Not giving too much away, but fuelled by his anger at the both the suffering of those around him and additionally the blatant inefficiency of the police force to tidy up the neighbourhood, Michael's methods are very hands on, leading to a number of violent altercations with the criminal denizens in the district.Despite the nature of the subject material (perfect exploitation fodder), the director and cast performances manage to instill a far deeper sentiment into this than that usually found in a typical vigilante/revenge flick of the era.
In fact, far from a simple tale of one mans war on crime, this serves in effect as a fascinating study of the social degeneration and general feeling of hopelessness, powerlessness and despair so prevalent in today's society at the escalating crime statistics and inefficacy of the law system to punish those responsible.
The simple message is that together, as communities we can unite and turn the tide against this abject unhappiness for both ourselves and indeed future generations.Rousing stuff indeed and highly recommended..
Great revenge thriller..
Set in an Italian neighborhood of Philadelphia "Fighting Back" tells the story of a storekeeper(Tom Skerritt),who is outraged by an incident on the streets that results in his pregnant wife losing the baby and by a robbery in which his mother's ring finger is cut off.He organizes the local people into a security patrol.The patrol does wipe out crime but operates beyond the law with our vigilante carrying on more of a personal vendetta than a campaign to establish law and order."Fighting Back" by Lewis Teague is a taut and exciting revenge thriller obviously influenced by "Death Wish" movies.The film is well-acted and looks surprisingly authentic.There is not much violence on display,however if you are a fan of thought-provoking cinema you can't miss this gritty flick.8 out of 10..
5.8 rating about right...wanted to like this more, but movie is aimless.
I love these 1970s and early 80s gritty movies, and in this regard, the film delivers.
The large old American cars, the street scenery, the police, etc.
all has that feel that you don't get in today's movie.
But overall, the film fails to deliver.
By the middle of the movie I was starting to get bored waiting for something more interesting to happen.
Much of the movie is also unrealistic.
The police seem virtually non-existent, which is not genuine (even if the point is that a neighborhood watch is needed).
The rivalry with the pimp also made no sense, there were a series of meetings which just did not flow with the plot.
Overall, you are unlikely to be very satisfied with this film, although it is reasonably watchable.
This is why the rating is in the 5-6 range and the film remains obscure.
The few reviewers who gave it an 8 to 10 rating are waaaaaaay over-rating the movie and do not know what a true 9 or 10 movie is (in my view, only 4-6 movies a year can really be called a 9 or 10)..
"Remember this business is all about favours.".
Oh here we go again, another low-budget vigilante feature of someone trying to make a difference.
Actually I enjoy these types of features, no matter how well-worn or rancid they can be.
However "Fighting Back" was a surprisingly effective if mildly realistic piece (up until a point), while not always fulfilling it did provoke some harsh and lasting set-pieces with a barnstorming performance by Tom Skerritt.
It kind of crosses paths with films such as; "Death Wish" (1974), "Boardwalk" (1979) and "Vigilante" (1983).
While scathingly violent and exploitative, its messages are obvious (especially the use of Yaphet Kotto's pointless character) and ambitiously put across with a multi-facet bunch of central characters that are thoroughly illustrated and this helps make the situations deliver on the impact.
There's a lot more food for thought here, but it kind of over does towards the end.After an incident involving a pimp and his elderly mother ending up injured in a hold up, John D'Angelo finally has had enough of the crime suffocating his community.
With the support of friends and neighbours he organises the People's Neighbourhood Patrol to protect their lifestyles.
Dressed up in uniforms (caps, bubble vests and wooden bats) and their own patrol car ("Ghostbusters" anyone?).
The only way to do it is to fight fire with fire, but still staying in the boundaries of the law.
This gets on the nerves of the local police, upsets worried politicians and only aggravates the street gangs, especially the pimp he crossed paths with.What starts off basic, than moves away into political territory and the problems that face the D'Angelo character (things getting out of hand).
Where soon he becomes self-obsessed and pinned-down with his campaign, where judgements are clouded, hot-headed confrontations erupt and his wife's (Patti LuPone) well-being for her family is discarded.
Skerritt's character is not particularly sympathetic either, as from what he's doing he becomes news --- popularity sky rockets --- a people's hero --- why not run for office.
Michael Sarrazin is excellent in the role as D'Angelo's friend, who just happens to be a cop.
Sarrazin's character is much more agreeable in his motives.Director Lewis Teague ("Alligator (1980)", "Cujo (1983)") does a respectably stark and gritty job capturing the urban decay and crime-riddled environment.
There's a tit for tat structure to the group doing their rounds, but the constant beatings are excitingly gripping ""Nobody laughs at my momma!".
There's one sequence where a fast food outlet owner just happens to have a battle axe(!?) stored away, when D'Angelo comes a knocking.
The pacing is rapid and some scenes are highly charged, although the ending (D'Angelo and the Pimp) does feel so anti-climatic."Fighting Back" has its feet in both camps; exploitative but also contemplative..
Cool 80s Urban Vigilante Schlock.
How disappointing this isn't available on DVD.
It seems people are even absurdly inspired by "Fighting Back", judging from wannabe vigilante "Legend_In_The_Making"'s comments, (thinks it's a friggin 10 star classic).
I consider this as good badfilm, nothing more.
I remember back in the 80s, this was one of those films HBO would show constantly - must have been cheap for them!
Some very classic moments - the plot provides plenty of reasons for Tom Skeritt's character John D'Angelo to vent his righteous rage - the old lady getting her finger cut off for her wedding ring - the family dog found hung in the shower by thugs, and the neighborhood pimp who calls John D'Angelo's wife a bitch, and then tells JA "a man who can't control his woman can't control his bowels - he shits his pants." Oh no he din't!!
The crime in the area becomes so bad that John D'Angelo forms a "citizen's patrol", complete with a bad-ass modified ex-police car and a black member so you'll know that the urban paranoia at least isn't racist.
I won't reveal any more, but suffice it to say that I really miss this film, and much of it is indelibly etched into my memory.This movie is so over the top, I would recommend it to anyone like me who enjoys the unintended humor in this type of genre.
Good luck finding it on VHS.
I give it the five stars (out of ten) that it so richly deserves.