There were no shortage of vigilante.movies following the success of Death Wish. However, by the mid 80's a lot of these movies were less believable or cartoonish. Take a look at Death Wish 3 to see what I am talking about. I thought Stand Alone was pretty good and I am a little surprised that I am just discovering this movie now. I would say this is comparable with a British vigilante film that came much later ( Harry Brown), but much less bleak than that film. Charles Durning is very believable as a loveable old grandpa that is pretty tough and decorated WW2 veteran. He comes across as an everyman, but is totally credible when he is threatened and proceeds to take out the trash. The supporting cast of Pam Grier and James Keatch don't hurt either. I don't know the actor's name, but the Latino guy who frequently plays a heavy in Walter Hill films is a great villain as the leader of The Skull Tattoo gang that has it out for Charles Durning. Even though this is an 80's movie the cheese is kept to a minimum and is taken fairly seriously. I just discovered this movie, and would definitely recommend it, Stand Alone is a solid action drama and a lot better than a bunch of vigilante action flicks that have gotten more attention.
Review of Stand Alone
