The Avenger is a 1931 American pre-Code Western film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Buck Jones and Dorothy Revier. The film is loosely based on the exploits of legendary Mexican bandit Joaquin Murrieta, who, in the mid-19th century, went to California and, according to the legend, swore vengeance against Americans and began of a series of robberies in the mining country after being discriminated against by white men.The film was remade in 1942 as Vengeance of the West, directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Bill Elliott and Tex Ritter.