Vigilante Diaries is a 2016 action film directed by Christian Sesma and starring Paul Sloan, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Michael Jai White, Jason Mewes, and Michael Madsen. It was based on a 2013 web series of the same name.
The Vigilante, an elusive, brooding anti-hero leads a team of black-ops agents turned crime-fighters on an explosive mission to save the world.
Tropes:
- At the Opera Tonight: The Vigilante abducts Andreas and Red from their box in the opera house because it is the one time he can get at them without having to go through Andreas' full security.
- Bathroom Brawl: Mike Hanover is attacked by an assassin in the restroom of a taco restaurant. He survives and manages to kill his attacker more through luck than any skill on his part.
- Brought to You by the Letter "S": As part of her Cold-Blooded Torture, Torture Technician Raven uses a blowtorch to burn a 'V' into the Vigilante's chest. He later paints a white 'V' on the front of his body armour.
- Chekhov's Gun: There is a brief scene where Barrington is inflicting Cold-Blooded Torture on someone and asking him questions about a shipment of uranium when he receives a phone call telling him that the Vigilante has escaped. It initially appears that the purpose of this scene is to establish Barrington as ruthless bastard and show the type of assignments he undertakes when he is not chasing the Vigilante. However, during the climax, it is revealed that the uranium was actually a key component in his Evil Plan and was used to make the dirty bombs he planted across the globe.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: At the start of the film, the Vigilante is being tortured by the Cartel, seemingly just for the hell of it. Then Andreas, the boss of the Armenian Mob, sends his personal Torture Technician Raven to Mexico to do a more professional job. There is also a brief scene of Barrington and Swan very calmly and professionally torturing some poor soul in India about uranium.
- Deadly Remote Control Toy: The Geek begins the assault on the Cartel base by buzzing two sentries with a miniature drone and then landing it on ground in front of them. When they move forward to examine it, it explodes.
- Electric Torture: At the start of the film, the Mexican Cartel is holding the Vigilante prisoner and torturing him with a car battery and and jumper leads.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: When Red bursts into Andreas' bedroom to complain about Jade's baby, he has four women in his bed: two of whom are making out with each other.
- Hero Stole My Bike: When Andreas and the Lion carjack a car to get away from the Vigilante, the Vigilante does exactly the same thing to the next motorist to come along in order to chase them. Neither vehicle survives the chase.
- Human Shield: When Andreas gets away from him at the opera house, the Vigilante grabs Red and uses her as a human shield: both to stop Andreas from shooting him and as a bargaining chip. Andreas proves that he doesn't care and shoots her.
- I Have Your Wife: Andreas decides decides that the best way to get the Vigilante to cease hostilities against the Armenian mob is to kidnap his lover Jade (who is pregnant) and hold her hostage.
- Laser Sight: When the Vigilante emerges from his Trash Landing in the dumpster, he finds a dozen laser sights on him and realises he has run straight into a trap.
- Mark of Shame: Andreas' Torture Technician Raven uses a blowtorch to burn a 'V' into the Vigilante's chest.
- Maternally Challenged: Red. When faced with Jade's crying baby, her reaction is an angry "How the hell do you shut this thing up?!"
- Meddlesome Patrolman: A guard in the parking garage starts to write Wolfman a ticket for illegal parking before realising that he is attempting to defuse a nuclear bomb in the trunk of the car.
- Meta Fictional Title: Vigilante Diaries is the title Mike Hanover's web video series about the Vigilante.
- Pregnant Hostage: When Andreas reveals to the Vigilante that he has taken Jade hostage, he also reveals that she is heavily pregnant. this comes a surprise to the vigilante who has not seen her in months, and the audience, who has only seen from the chest up on screens up till this point.
- Resignations Not Accepted: When someone joins Mr. Moreau's black ops organisation, all records of their original identity and their past life are deleted from official records. There can be no going back to their old life because their old life no longer exists. Moreau very carefully explains all of this to the Vigilante before he accepts the job offer, and is peeved when the Vigilante defects on discovering the organisation's true mission.
- Sexy Surfacing Shot: Marta does this emerging from the pool in a bikini. Parodied a few seconds later when pudgy, pasty white guy Barry does the same thing.
- Shoot the Hostage: When Andreas gets away from him at the opera house, the Vigilante grabs Red and uses her as a Human Shield: both to stop Andreas from shooting him and as a bargaining chip. Andreas proves that he doesn't care and shoots her.
- Shout-Out: Having tried and failed to talk his way past the two mooks guarding the door to Andreas' box at the opera house, the Vigilante knocks them both out before commenting "It was a boring conversation anyway".
- Sword Cane: Andreas carries a sword cane and uses it to kill one of Hanover's girls in his first scene.
- They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: In the prologue, Wolfman and Vigilante discover that their latest mission was nothing but a cover for one of Barrington's black ops. Wolfman angrily calls Barrington "Motherfucker!", causing Barrington to respond:"That's Commander Motherfucker to you."
- A Threesome is Manly: When Red bursts into Andreas' bedroom to complain about Jade's baby, he has four women in his bed: two of whom are making out with each other.
- Too Kinky to Torture: Resident pervert Hanover keeps hitting on Torture Technician Raven the entire time she is attempting to torture him.
- Torture Technician: Raven is Andreas' personal torturer. She travels with her own case of torture impliments, and is the one who uses a blowtorch to burn a 'V' into the Vigilante's chest.
- Trash Landing: While the runner from the heroin lab, the Vigilante jumps off a roof into a dumpster. When he comes up, he finds a dozen Laser Sights on his chest.
- Two Shots from Behind the Bar: At the end of the film, Moreau and Barrington are comparing notes in a bar and become aware of a gang behind them planning to kill them. They spin round and pull guns,; gunning down the mooks. As they do, the bartender Crazy Joe pulls a pump-action shotgun from under the bar and joins in.
- Un-person: When the Vigilante joined Mr. Moreau's black ops organisation, all record of his existence was wiped from all databases. He and and his past life effectively ceased to exist. There is no going back to old life because his old life no longer exists.
- Vehicular Assault: During the Car Chase in Yerevan, the Vigilante uses the car he stole to ram Andreas' (also stolen) car into immobility.
- Vigilante Man: The Vigilante is a former black ops operative who has declared war on street crime. His sidekicks the Kid, and Kid 2.0, also count.
- Violent Glaswegian: While tracking down Andreas' whereabouts, the Vigilante visits Glasgow and meets with a gang of local hardcases with whom he has had prior dealings. The tell him he's no longer welcome and attempt to rough him up. They soon regret their life choices. For bonus points, their leader actually sports a genuine Glaswegian accent, which is given subtitles for the benefit of American viewers.
- Wire Dilemma: Wolfman is trying to defuse the dirty bomb in the boot of Barrington's car; not being helped by the panicking security guard next to him who he keeps telling him to cut the red wire, because it's always the red wire in the movies. With seconds left of the timer, he grabs a handful of wires and yanks them all out and the timer stops.
