Jersey Justice

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.

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 thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It had a great balance of action, emotion and humor. I would not recommend it for children under 17, because there are intense scenes, as well as violence, language and adult situations.

It was much funnier than I had expected - I laughed throughout most of the movie. The scene with Polly, dressed in preppy, conservative clothing, toting a golf bag containing a rifle, was absolutely hilarious. The lead detective had me in stitches, with his tough, streetwise one-liners. The "coffee vs latte" scene was a particular favorite.

The "Justice, Jersey Style" scene, was surprising, funny, outrageous, and a fitting revenge. This film is a "must see" for anyone who enjoys action & comedy, and doesn't mind a few violent scenes.

I read about Jersey Justice in my local paper, and thought I might check it out to see what all the fuss was about. Saw a whole lot of indie movies in Jersey and most are small little movies made by some young guys and a bunch of wannabe actors and cute kids from the suburbs. "Jersey Justice" is the first real movie I've seen in a long time that has a plot and real actors and great moments of real thrills.

Its like a revenge movie that has an old school approach, no frills. John Charles Hunt wrote/produced/directed this movie with a real heartbeat. The characters are stock roles but have an original mark of distinction. Polly O'Bannon is the 'soccer mom avenger' from Bucks County who chases some killers into the hell-holes of Jersey to get some old time JUSTICE! I liked the references to Jersey in the script and the bar fight is one of the most outrageous 15 minutes I've ever seen in any movie (big budget or small).

Blanche Baker stars in this indie and I hope I see her do bigger roles like this in the future. She is brilliant and clever in the lead. Jerry Lyden and Chris Mann are on their game and the flatfoot and the FBI honcho on the trail of a crazy lady with a mission. Good to see big ass Bo Svenson again and he is great as ever. TJ Glenn is very good in the bad-guy lug biker role. The bald headed monster with the tattoos (Steve Giambattista) adds just the right amount of villain juice to his part. Maria Soccor is hot and watch out for the hot sauce! Finney (Ed McCool) is funny as hell and every time he is on screen, I know I'm having a good time. Helluva good movie!

Local Filmmaker Premieres 'Jersey Justice'

By: LIndsay Warner, The Evening Bulletin

07/25/2007

Currently in limited pre-release screenings to garner interest for a wider release, "Jersey Justice" is a small-budget film created by a movie buff on his first venture behind the camera. But "Jersey Justice" doesn't feel like a low-budget, first-time film, and it seems likely Hunt will get his funding. Revolving around a 24-hour period in which Polly O'Bannon's (Baker) husband is shot and killed in a mix-up between several Philadelphia thugs, the shocked housewife turns to violence to avenge her husband's undeserved death. Collecting weapons and supplies in record time, O'Bannon hits the road looking for her husband's killer, attracting a variety of colorful characters similarly thirsting for revenge - or a good road trip - along the way.

Felix Romeo, played by Maria Soccor, New York model and actress, a rough & ready biker with her own incentive for revenge, strongly flavors the script with her defiant independence, while Irish drunkard Finney (Ed McCool) lends a car and a touch of humor to the mix. John Williams (Johnny Roastbeef in "Goodfellas") also crops up as Big Bill Romeo, the bartender at "Mrs. Jay's," a shady biker bar where the first part of the revenge plan is enacted. Although O'Bannon is on a vengeful killing spree, Baker's portrayal of the character lends a sympathetic tinge to her portrayal - though it seems unlikely that O'Bannon would be able to proceed as far with her plans as she does without police intervention.

Still, the story is entertaining, fast moving and a nice twist on the often-used male revenge thriller. The shady dealings of the gang at the scene of the murder confuse the plot slightly, but Hunt retains a strong connection to O'Bannon throughout, using her humanity to maintain empathy.