I would think Charles Bronson as the Harmonica man would qualify ..... Once Upon a Time in the WestSurprised no one has mentioned Dirty Harry yet. I think the first predated DW and iirc DH came out in 1971. And yes, I know DH was a cop but he sure seemed to bend the rules to shoot the bad guys.
As to Clint Eastwood, he was up there when he did Unforgiven which to me was a vigilante (albeit hired).
I thought about Gran Torino, but I wasn’t sure if… the ending fits the bill.Someone mentioned Clint Eastwood. The Outlaw Josey Wales and Gran Torino fit the bill.
Likewise Clark Kent, Peter Parker, and almost every other superhero.Everyone that ever played Bruce Wayne.
Ah, "Cat Ballou" one of my favorites spoofs;Jane Fonda in "Cat Ballou".
It's amazing how truth can be stranger than fiction. I'm sure there have been more than a few "vigilantes" that were never caught or never convicted.Twenty-five years ago, I saw the ultimate revenge movie, 'Bandit Queen'. The movie is the true story of a woman in India who was molested and raped by a whole village. When she later becomes a gang leader, she returns to the village and kills most of the men that attacked her. The movie was controversial and quite violent, especially in depicting the treatment of women and people of a lower caste. The movie ends with her surrender to authorities, but it is noted that she was acquitted of all charges. In reality, she had become a folk hero of the poor in India and, when she was arrested there was a massive outcry in her defense and she was acquitted of 48 charges of kidnapping, banditry and murder. Phoolan Devi, the bandit queen, was elected twice to parliament after her acquittal. Unfortunately she was assassinated in 2001, in revenge for her murders of villagers.