Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Hot Water aka Junior; here's the breakdown of my ratings:
Story: 1.25
Direction: 1.00
Pace: 0.75
Acting: 1.25
Enjoyment: 1.00
TOTAL: 5.25 out of 10.00.
In Hot Water, Junior is a man-child with a problem similar to Norman Bates. His Mother. The worrisome thing is Junior's mommy is still alive and as mad as a hatter suffering from vestiphobia on Ladies' Day at Royal Ascot. She's only too happy to cheer him on when he wants revenge, all too happy to whisper in his ear to instruct him. Some mothers are just bad for their sons.
John Maxwell and Don Carmody deliver a slasher flick with a twist. Two ex-cons, KC and Joe, fresh out of the women's pen, have decided to make a new start and go straight. They've bought a lakeside property hoping to turn it into a profitable business and home. Luckily for the viewers looking for a Dark Thriller, it's not long before the women realise their dreams will be tougher to achieve than they originally planned. For one, it would appear that their nearest neighbour, Junior, is nuttier than a coconut tree - and not in a funny way either. The first meeting they have with Junior and his cohorts sees Joe turned upside down and dangled over a whirring outboard motor propellor. KC comes to the damsel's rescue with her trusty shotgun. Only to have the Sheriff step out from the shadows to announce that he's also Junior's friend. Talk about bad luck; the local psycho has friends in high places. But this is only the beginning of the girl's troubles. Will they win the day, or will Junior and his mates rule the roost? As it goes, the story isn't too terrible. Maxwell and Carmody could've enriched their characters a tad more. Sadly, there's no real depth to them. The mysterious stranger, Luke, who lives on the houseboat, is a perfect example. There's not much to his character, and that works to build his mystique. But it's not enough to make the viewers relate to him. Even a vague backstory showing his personality better would pull the audience into his story and the film more: You need to get the viewer to invest themselves into the tale a little. Without that investment, the story becomes dull. And that's the case here. No matter what happens to KC & Joe, or anybody else in the story, you don't care. In the finale, you find that you're indifferent to the outcome. You're not cheering for the heroines' survival. And that's an awful thing for this type of picture.
Sadly, Jim Hanley wasn't up to capturing this story on film. His directorial style is lacking. There are copious scenes that merited better, starting with the propellor torture of Joe. The set needed to be better lit because you hardly make out the whirring prop. The scene is supposed to send chills down the viewers' spine in the apprehension of a messy kill. However, the killing machine's veiled in shadow, making the threat less intimidating to the viewer. Then there's a motorboat chase on the lake. Sadly, it comes across as less than thrilling and action-packed. It's more like a damp squib at a funereal convention. It's trying to be funny, but the attendants are waiting to bury it forever - dead or alive. And there are plenty more missed opportunities to empower the film. Though, I do have to state the ending sequence is nearly there. It comes across better than the others, and the final twist helps. One reason many sections fail to envigorate the viewers' emotions is Hanley's slow pacing. This failure is particularly noticeable in the boat chase. The excitement needed ramping up, as did the speed of his cuts and splices. The point-and-shoot style he employs with the meandering tempo does nothing but make the chase tiresome.
Surprisingly, the cast is okay. Two actors give the impression of being professionals and not some amateurs looking for a break; Jeremy Ratchford, who plays Junior and Ken Roberts, who portrays the Sherriff. These two guys made the movie more watchable for me.
Hot Water isn't a movie I'd quickly recommend. It's average to the extreme and could've been much better. But if you see it on a streaming service for free and you're at a loose end for an hour or so, feel free to check it out. It should pass the time.
Junior, after you've sorted out those loose ladies, fetch my IMDb list - Killer Thriller Chillers, to see where I ranked Hot Water.
Take Care & Stay Well.
