Vigilante - Bis zum letzten Atemzug

Olivia Wilde is brilliant in this raw and unapologetically in your face story of domestic violence. Love how the plot not only progresses but the movie never shies away from the horror that these men, women, and children face on a daily basis. Grips from the opening scene, builds and doesn't let up until the final act. A film that proves you don't need a big budget or a big name studio to produce a quality film with a message.

It's great to see a film that deals with such subject matter in such a stark and realistic way. Films like peppermint do little to elevate tired approaches of women fighting back, as they're so unrealistic they're laughable, but this film is so different to that. Olivia Wilde shines in this role, as the wounded healer who helps women and children escape the war zones of "domestic" (hate that phrase) violence, and fleeing her own abusive husband. It's an understated, yet powerful, portrayal of a widely under reported blight on society. It's a shame this film hasn't received the attention and acclaim it deserves, as it's fraught with tension throughout, presents in an empathic and sensitive way and is really engaging. Interpersonal violence is still a misunderstood and under resourced issue that hasn't ever been tackled effectively, certainly not in the uk. We are losing 3 women and 2 children a week to their perpetrators, yet are losing shelters every month that could save lives. Films like this explore the possibility of a world where it could be different.

Olivia Wilde is excellent and the supporting cast are spot on. Direction, score and dialogue all work exceedingly well. I'm surprised at the low rating, one assumes the subject matter is not for the masses. Yes the tales, anguish etc are harrowing and you feel for them as any sane minded person would. However this is still a tale of fiction and does feel so in places, if our heroine had used more obvious means of correction then the story would have been more effective.

I think some of the other reviewers were expecting Death Wish or Taken 4. That's not this movie. This story is about abuse survivors. It's about what it takes to break free.

It has some powerful moments that make your stomach drop and your heart ache. They felt real to me. Several times, I found myself wondering if they hadn't cast real victims retelling their stories. That's how good it is in that portion. But this is a slow film, so slow that I almost pulled out my phone to do stuff. That's never a good thing. I dropped my stars to a 6 because of that. If I were more honest, the story is more of a 5, but I bumped it up to a 7 because of the acting. It really is phenomenal, imo.

I disagree with a couple of the reviews regarding pacing. I think the movie shows what abused women (and in some cases kids and men) go through. You live in silence. You're afraid to tell people. And you have to move carefully around the abuser. That, I think, is what this movie is trying to portray. It's not as straightforward as some reviewers have mentioned. And Olivia Wilde is amazing in this!