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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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'70s Vigilantes Take '07 in Hands

New slate of vigilante films in era that mirrors '70s anxiety

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(Newser) – Our era of economic upheaval and political powerlessness mirrors that of the 1970s, and now we’re getting our own silver screen vigilantes to clean up the mess. Everyman killers like Taxi Driver’s Travis Bickle took action when the system wouldn’t, says Slate, and this season “vengeance is back with, well, a vengeance.”

New releases The Brave One and Death Sentence both feature former liberals “reformed” into vigilantes, enacting the same war “between civilized and savage” that '70s classics stole from the Western. In a post-Katrina, post-9/11 world though, what we fear is more complex: that disaster will strike, and no cavalry will pick up the pieces.

Dirty Harry
Dirty Harry   (Archive Photos)
US-actress Jodie Foster arrives at the premiere of
US-actress Jodie Foster arrives at the premiere of "The Brave One" on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. The movie opens on German screens on Thursday, Sept. 27, 2007. (AP Photo/Miguel Villagran)   (Associated Press)
This photo released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows actress Jodie Foster in a scene from
This photo released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows actress Jodie Foster in a scene from "The Brave One." Many in the film industry are already thinking about the Academy Awards. The film, already shown...   (Associated Press)
Kevin Bacon arrives at the Los Angeles Film Festival Spirit of Independence Award ceremony honoring Clint Eastwood in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
Kevin Bacon arrives at the Los Angeles Film Festival Spirit of Independence Award ceremony honoring Clint Eastwood in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 28, 2007. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)   (Associated Press)
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