Jimmy Zip

This film explores the troubled life of a young man with no hope and no future. His home life is one of abuse which drives him out to the streets. With no clue about what will happen next, he is led along a path ladened with interesting characters, violence, possible love, and job security in a shady industry.

The acting was actually pretty good overall, the visual effects done perfectly, the environment believable. I really didn't think of this as an independent movie while watching, instead I got lost in the story which moves along at a well calculated pace.

The only detractor is some points of the film are a little hokey, but hey, most Hollywood films blow this terrific film out of the water with hokeyness.

Jimmy Zip just won "Best Feature shot for under 1 million dollars" at the Hollywood Film Festival and was viewed there. This film, as of August 1999, is not in general or video release. But, heads up, studio executives, this could be the sleeper hit of 1999/2000. Language is a bit rough but characters are strong and commanding. Well acted. Story involves a 16 year old pyromaniac who teams with a sculturer to confront the heavies- drug dealers with no scruples (is there any other kind?) . Hats off to writer/director Robert McGinley - strong talent. I also thought the editing was very good, something one never notices until you reflect on it a day or two later. I went back to my credit book and looked it up. The editor is named Howard Flaer. I hope some studio gets their act together and releases this. Good stuff.

I read about this movie somewhere.... if fact, I read all the commments below too. I can verify Bruce Ford's comments that Jimmy Zip was Hollywood Film Festival award winner.... and it shows.

Face it, the video box sucks big time. It is not a horror flick. But really well done story of teen runaway who discover a cruel world with pimps and dopers and the like. The strange encounter with the artist in the junk yard is a nice turn. Discover some first class independent filmmakers. Hats off to Robert McGinley.

I think I made it about fifteen minutes into this movie. The moment that shut me down was the extremely lame, evil drug dealer. Did the writer ever travel to any places with drug dealers or street people? The only reason I rented it was because, somehow, a trailer for the short film starring Justin Whalin was on another video I had seen. I was extremely confused as to why they didn't credit Whalin on the box and picked it up. Don't bother with this.

I agree that the positive comments on this site are probably from people involved in producing this crap.

Go rent "Brick" or "The Chumscrubber".

Most movies have inconsistencies and/or are unrealistic in some ways but this movie is unusually as realistic as any fictional movie is. I do not know how likely such a thing is to happen but it could. The main reason not to like this movie is that there is not enough happiness and such, but that's life.

Throughout most of the movie there are enough surprises to make what will happen next quite a mystery.