A Vingança de J.D.

A solid standout from most Black flicks of the middle 70's, JD's Revenge provided an early platform for Glynn Turman (Cooley High) to prove his acting prowess. By playing essentially two characters at once, Turman's passion for the roles combines with the spookiness of the New Orleans setting for memorable results. Louis Gossett plays an excellent preacher with a sordid past. The horror edge of this film is a little heavy-handed, but it is considerably better than most of the genre. A great Black thriller.

Glynn Turman plays Isaac "Ike" Hendricks, an amiable law student in New Orleans. One night, in the company of his girl and his friends, he decides to undergo hypnosis, just for the hell of it. However, this enables a restless spirit named J.D. Walker (David McKnight) to possess Ikes' body, all in the name of revenge. J.D. was a lowlife criminal who'd been made to look guilty for a womans' murder back during the WWII era. Now the possessed Ike starts to sound and act like J.D., and indulge in various unsavoury pursuits while going about this mission of vengeance.

A very engaging cast helps to make this watchable. It's never a great film but it is a decent and enjoyable one. Producer / director Arthur Marks injects lots of grisly slaughterhouse imagery into the proceedings, which get fairly bloody and intriguing if never exactly scary. The movie goes a fair distance on the performances by young Turman ("Cooley High", "Gremlins", "John Dies at the End"). Naturally, he does look to be having a fine time when called upon to imitate McKnight in his portrayal of the slick and creepy J.D.

Louis Gossett Jr. is very lively as the reformed criminal turned flamboyant preacher who also figures into the plot. The cute Joan Pringle is a likable leading lady as she plays Ikes' girl Christella. Also fine in support are Carl W. Crudup, Julian Christopher, Fred Pinkard, the stunningly beautiful Alice Jubert, and Earl Billings. McKnight conveys plenty of oily menace as the revenge-crazed spirit. Rhonda Shear and Bob Minor have bit parts.

Worth a look alongside other genre crossovers such as "Abby" and "Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde".

Seven out of 10.

This is a startling movie starring Glynn Turman and Louis Gossett Jr. Here Glynn Turman is the innocent laid-back Ike who is a law student. Then he becomes possessed by a violent fornicating 1940s gangster. This reminds me of a Jekyel and Hyde movie. The setting of the movie is gloomy and the flashback scenes couldn't be any more eerier. The way he slapped around actress Joan Pringle when he (Glynn) was JD seem so real. To me this role fits Glynn Turman because he does it so naturally. If you are in for some suspense and thriller from the old school. This is the movie to check out.

In 1942 New Orleans gangster J.D. Walker (David McKnight) is shot to death by Elija Bliss (Lou Gossett). It is believed that he killed his wife (he didn't). Cut to 1976. Mild mannered young law student Ike (Glynn Turman) is possessed by the spirit of J.D. He immediately becomes cruel and vicious and treating his beautiful girl friend Christella (Joan Pringle) like dirt. Then he realizes his ex rival Elija is still alive as a preacher and J.D. sets out to get his revenge.

I've wanted to see this since it came out in 1976. I was 14 then and a newspaper ad showed a drawing of a gravestone and a pretty young woman lying dead in front of it with a look of horror on her face (needless to say nothing like that appears in the film). But the film only played one week and quickly disappeared--but I've never forgotten that drawing. I'm glad I finally got the chance to see it. It's not a great film but it's an interesting psychological horror film more than a blood and guts one. There's only one bloody attack scene and a shot of a dead animal being cut open (which was repeated at least 8 times).

This concentrates more on Ike being possessed and trying to fight back. It's a hard role but Turman pulls it off. The only part where he goes too far is at the end when J.D. takes complete control and Turman REALLY overdoes it. It's also kind of fun seeing Gossett (REALLY chewing the scenery) as a preacher. His speeches at church are energetic (to say the least) and a highlight. The only thing that bothers me here is the disgusting misogynistic attitude. There's a truly sick scene where Turman viciously tries to rape Pringle. The only other female roles are TWO cheating wives who eagerly jump into bed with other men and Bliss's daughter who seduces Ike (J.D.) almost immediately. Also Ike has a friend who talks about women like they should be beaten up and controlled. This attitude permeates the film and makes it a chore sometimes to watch. Still this is a somewhat interesting reincarnation movie. I give it a 7.

Some of the best scenes in this movie take place after Ike (Glynn Turman) has been totally taken over by the late hustler, J.D. Walker. The scene when he walks into a New Orleans club dressed in a 1940's hat and suit, spats on his feet, and his conked hair has to be seen to be believed. Turman does a remarkable job switching back and forth between struggling law student Ike, and J.D., the razor-toting dead hustler out to revenge the death of his younger sister. Overall, this is not a bad film, but some aspects of the plot are muddy. A moment when Ike plays the numbers (what we know as the lottery today), suggests that he may have had a criminal past, but it's not explored further. We learn from flashbacks that Elijah Bliss (Lou Gossett, Jr.) was a hustler, and are given hints in the present story that his current job as a preacher may be a scam. Judging from his sermons, Elijah may have been a boxer too, but that is not fleshed out, either. The conclusion of the film leaves some unanswered questions, as well. Despite of some weak plot points, and misogynistic attitudes, this is still an enjoyable movie.