Jersey Justice

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 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.

Just got back from the preview screening of "Jersey Justice" in East Greenville PA. John Hunt's first film is a surprise indie movie with a great plot, an homage to the drive-in movies of the 70's. Not to say it's in the same as Tarentino/Rodrigues' "Grindhouse", but as much fun because the attitude is rough and the strong doses of humor make it pure PULP!

The prologue gives us the characters, a Christian family- son is off to Iraq (business contractor)- slime ball Bossman (70's screen star Bo Svenson as Texan "Halabirton-esque" creep in an extended cameo)and a news clip of Ole' George W Bush....you know it's trouble ahead. Mother Polly O'Bannon (Blanche Baker of "16 Candles") gets the phone call that son Derek has been kidnapped by terrorists and likely killed. Dad Jack (a likable Ken Schwarz) is trying to keep his sanity.

The story kicks in as Polly and Jack try to adjust to Derek's death, but they are hounded by the press and a couple of shady dicks in a sedan. On a trip to Philadelphia to collect their sons belongings, and crossing paths with a couple of murdering thugs in Old City, Jack is gunned down in an alley (not pretty) and Polly runs for her life. A few twist's in the fast plot, as Polly turns the tables on Jacks's assailants. The thugs are now being hunted down by the clever (and quite crazy) Polly O'Bannon. I thought that "Jersey Justice" had the same sense as the Michael Douglas' "Falling Down" when Polly goes through the day as if she were out shopping and doing errands. She buys a shotgun at a gun shop in Cherry Hill (very funny dialog) and terrorizes a pretty young lady at knife point in a bathtub.

The police and FBI are two steps behind Polly and the gunman. Agent Paul Lane (Christopher Mann of HBO's The Wire) thinks Polly might have lost her mind and heads to Jersey. Detective Vic Bell (veteran character actor Jerry Lyden of "Goodfellas") holds the fort in Philly. The story jumps the rails into a bizarre twist when Polly meets a tough dyke bartender (Maria Soccor looks like Russ Meyer's star Tura Santana) and barfly Finney (Hilarious Ed McCool is a real find). It's off to a biker bar and a halfway showdown with a gang called "The Hawks", lead by a hulking goon named Carlo (T.J. Glenn does a good impression of Big Bill Smith) as bartender Bill Romeo (Johnny 'Roastbeaf' Willaims hit's the right tone)tries to keep order when all hell breaks loose.

Not to give it all away, but lets just say that there are a few subplots involving the mob, fixer henchman, corporate lackeys, and a mystery man who pulls the strings. When you think you know what's going to happen, you don't. The action is very brisk, and the setting is right in the heart of Jersey. The ending is a fine wrap-up with a suggestion of a sequel.

The actors are first rate, with Blanche Baker leading the pack. She owns the role, with sly touches of crazy humor along with good dramatic moments. Big Bo Svenson is at his best, in a part tailored for his stature- BOOO HISSSSS! Newcomer Steve Giambattista is truly menacing as a biker thug out to stop Polly. Christopher Mann as the FBI guy on the track is very commanding, and his scenes with Jerry Lyden (alway fun) are pure gold, great chemistry. Watch for Gervase Peterson ("Survivor Season 1" reality TV)as a lackey and Brian Anthony Wilson as "Jules" the enforcer (big as a house).

The real pleasure is John Hunt's fun script (with lines pulled from Billy Jack) and great low budget value. Very talented but the budget shows with some goofy performances and slapped together set pieces. It's Blanche Baker who makes the movie a real treat, a steady role for the petite and pretty "Soccer Mom Avenger" with a shotgun. The audience filled with real bikers from Reading PA were roaring with belly laughs. Hunt was on hand to thank the actors who came out to be part of the screening. I had a ball!

Loved the story line, and also loved the humor in it. Some VERY funny line's! Awesome and Very well done!!!! I'm glad that I saw it the second time, I was able to see some scene's parts in scene's that I missed the first time. Great acting, great cast, just a great film. I'm really looking forwarded to it being distributed. Best of Luck on the film, I am for certain it will be a hit out there. Blanche Baker was perfect for the roll that she played!!!! Great seeing her in a film again. Finny, what can I say about Finny? He was the bomb, played such a wonderful roll, and was just too funny! All the other cast were wonderful. This truly is a must see movie, I would not hesitate to see it again.

YOU ROCK!!!

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.