Olivia Wilde, so impressive in her direction of Booksmart recently, is back in front of the camera in Sarah Dagger-Nixon’s revenge drama, A Vigilante. She plays Sadie, a woman who is obviously suffering from some sort of trauma and who has a mission to help people stuck in abusive relationships.
My post film feelings might make me sound like former England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson – first half good, second half, not so good. In the early part of the film, when Sadie’s motivations are unclear, and we see her helping a battered wife and then a terrified child, this is a really interesting watch. Wilde is mesmerising, and the downbeat, understated style contrasting well with just a few moments of sudden violence.
However, the second part of the film does not hold up anywhere near as well. There is a well written group therapy scene where Sadie’s back story is revealed, but then a prolonged sequence where she meets her former tormentor. I assume that Dagger-Nixon thought that the character needed some sort of cathartic release, but that part of the film is much more predictable and quite dull. Worth sticking with for Wilde’s performance, and Dagger-Nixon is a film maker of some promise, but ultimately A Vigilante is a frustrating experience.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10