Jersey Justice

I won't waste words on this.........thing. Don't waste your time viewing it.

My husband and I were privy to a showing of "Jersey Justice," a new New Jersey independent film. This indie was well-written, well-directed and well-acted. The characters were worth caring about. This is a "pulp" film without too much gratuitous violence. It is certainly a "revenge" film in the vein of Standing Tall. Certain frustrations borne out of particular political characters' actions of present day were interspersed throughout the film. Overall, this is a very enjoyable film with lots of interesting characters. You are constantly wondering how all the "loose ends" will finally tie up. You can certainly feel for the lead character, Polly's, frustration and turmoil from early on in the movie, throughout. Mr. Hunt certainly keeps us wondering about the outcome of the movie, right up to the last 20 minutes. A big thumbs up to the cast and crew for a great deal well done.

As a local to where the film was shot, this "revenge thriller with a twisted edge" was lots of fun to watch. Blanche Baker really did a bang up job balancing her role as revenger and a Christian 'soccer mom' after seeing her husband gunned down on the streets of Philly. The characters that showed up in her life after that in the next 24 hours made the plot come alive. Maria Soccor's performance sizzled as the sexy bad-ass bartender who had a couple of great tricks up her sleeve. I'd love to see her in more leading roles! Another actress that I really enjoyed in her cameo role as Gun Lady was Mary Mooney who was great at her sales job. I joined the audience as we laughed at the hilarious one-liners and the prize goes to the cameo couple in the biker bar who mentioned something funny about their kids. Thanks to the intense acting and the great directing by John Charles Hunt the bad guys were easy to hate and the good guys drew you in as we couldn't help root for our heroine's success. Go see Jersey Justice and walk away with a new spin on what you would do if you were pushed to the edge.

A first time for me, seeing an indie movie in a café in Doylestown called PUCK LIVE on a nice Sunday afternoon. "Jersey Justice" is a smart and fast low budget digi-film with a good plot. Soccer mom with a shotgun hunts down bad people (mob, bikers, trailer trash chicks)while the cops and FBI scratch their heads. Not to take a movie about a vigilante middle aged woman too seriously, John Hunt's little movie has all the fun of those old time drive-in grinders that would have starred Jan Michael Vincent or Bo Svenson (who pops up in this flick...nice touch).

Not as uber-cool as Abel Ferrera'a urban classic "Ms. 45" (which is one of the greatest NYC nightmare movies)or even "Death Wish". The best part of watching "Jersey Justice" is it's wink and nod to those films with respect. The real reason I liked this movie is the actors were doing such a good job. Blanche Baker goes all out to make us like her, and it works. She works hard to get laughs in the moments we can laugh along with pathos in the ugly sequences. The support actors range from perfect (Ed McCool and Jerry Lyden made me laugh) to serviceable (Big Bo Svenson in a few scenes, lesser know locals). The café setting was fun (beers with a movie rule). John Hunt talked up after the show and thanked his crew and the stars for a game effort. A lot of talent from humble movie people.

I just saw a screening of this film last night and I must say that writer/director John Hunt has come up with a very strong first effort. Everything about this project, from the script to the cast to the overall look of the film avoids the amateurish mistakes that so many first time directors bring upon themselves. The performances of the leads really bring the material to life. Blanche Baker as Polly is the center of the film, playing a woman who loses her son to terrorists and her husband to street thugs. There isn't a false note anywhere in her performance. She conveys tenderness and toughness in all of the right places, truly becoming the woman pushed to extremes. The villains of the piece (Bo Svenson, Steve Giambattista, Brian Anthony Wilson, TJ Glenn and Sal Mazzotta)go about their nastiness with delicious ease, and the people who help Polly get justice (Maria Soccor, Johnny "Roastbeef" Williams and a hilarious Ed McCool)propel the story along quite nicely. The real revelation is the obvious chemistry between Jerry Lyden's Detective Bell and Christopher Mann's Agent Lane, two old friends who've seen it all and go about the business of solving crimes with a mix of seriousness and gallows humor. Someone should build a whole movie around them! All in all, a good effort from John Hunt's crew. I'm looking forward to seeing what he's going to do next.