Vigilante Vigilante: The Battle for Expression (2011)

Out on the quiet city streets, in the pre-dawn hours, a battle is being waged. For decades, graffiti writers, street artists, and bill-posters have contended with police and city clean up crews. Now they have a new enemy: the obsessive and self-motivated lone vigilante. The story begins with the "Silver Buff" - a mysterious character known only by his marks - who has prolifically painted over graffiti in Berkeley, CA for over 10 years. Silver is his color of choice. From the start, the filmmakers reveal themselves not to be "objective" observers but instead involved operators seeking to unmask and stop the Silver Buff, who they see as hypocritical and destructive. The film broadens to encompass questions of why people are motivated to do graffiti and how it relates to the wider culture, as well as why some may appreciate it while others hate it. -- (C) Open Ranch Productions