Fighting Back (1982 film)
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Fighting Back Poster
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| Directed by | Lewis Teague |
| Produced by | Perm Presentations |
| Screenplay by | Thomas Hedley Jr. David Zelag Goodman |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Piero Piccioni |
| Cinematography | Franco Di Giacomo |
| Edited by | Nicholas C. Smith |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3,355,948 |
Fighting Back (UK title: Death Vengeance) is a 1982 action crime–drama film written by Thomas Hedley Jr & David Zelag Goodman and directed by Lewis Teague. The film stars Tom Skerritt,Patti LuPone,Michael Sarrazin,Yaphet Kotto,David Rasche,Lewis Van Bergen,Earle Hyman, and Ted Ross.
The film opens with Philadelphia TV reporters viewing and broadcasting a news story about violence in society since JFK Assassination in 1963. With the increase in crime, Philadelphia is becoming unsafe. Proud Italian-American John D'Angelo (Tom Skerritt) runs a deli in town. While driving with his wife, Lisa (Patti LuPone), D'Angelo comes across a pimp known as Eldorado (Pete Richardson) brutalizing one of his prostitutes. John's wife confronts the pimp and the pimp chases the D'Angelos, ramming his car into the back of the D'Angelos' vehicle, injuring Lisa and killing their unborn baby. John's mother Vera (Gina DeAngles) is assaulted in the neighborhood.
John decides to make a stand, organizing a neighborhood patrol composed of regular citizens who are also fed up with the crime in their neighborhood. They call themselves The People's Neighborhood Patrol, or “PNP” for short. The PNP has their own uniforms consisting of blue hats and vests that have a PNP logo on them, a headquarters to take phone calls, along with vehicles all containing their PNP logo and is led by John and his best friend Vince Morelli (Michael Sarrazin), a police officer. After D'Angelo's house is burglarized and their dog is killed, the film cuts to the reporters' studio footage of Newark, New Jersey ten years after the 1967 Newark riots, self-defense classes in Beverly Hills, various target practice sessions and the Guardian Angels on patrol in New York City. With Vince's help, the police allow the PNP to patrol the neighborhood. However, the PNP seem to operate with no regard for the law and do as they please. To make their first stand and to introduce themselves to the neighborhood, the group goes to a dirty bar in town known for being a hot spot for criminals, which Eldorado and his men are known patrons of. John casually walks into the bar with the rest of the PNP behind him. John confronts the bartender (Allan Graf), trying to get answers as to who is responsible for mugging his mother. Things turn violent when the bartender laughs in John’s face, triggering an all-out brawl, but the PNP come out on top.
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