J.D.'s Revenge
Although notorious New Orleans gangster J.D. Walker is shot and killed in the 1940s, his spirit remains restless for three decades, until a hypnotist's supernatural nightclub act allows him to take over the body of a mild-mannered law student and seek revenge on those who got him killed.
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- Cast:
- Glynn Turman , Louis Gossett Jr. , Joan Pringle , Carl W. Crudup , Julian Christopher , Jo Anne Meredith , David McKnight
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Reviews
To me, this movie is perfection.
Please don't spend money on this.
It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
J.D's RevengeThe best way to tell if you've been possessed by an African American is if the police start arresting you for no reason.Unfortunately for the victim in this horror movie, he's already black himself.Sweet-talked into being the dupe for a hypnotist by his wife (Joan Pringle), law student Ike (Glynn Turman) instead becomes the unwitting vessel for the vengeful spirit of J.D. Walker (David McKnight), a New Orleans street hustler murdered in the 1950s.Adapting J.D's mannerisms and flamboyant attire, Ike unknowingly begins exacting revenge on Theotis Bliss (Fred Pinkard), the man who killed J.D's sister. The only person standing in Ike/J.D's way is Theotis' brother, Reverend Elijah (Louis Gossett Jr.).An intriguing fusion of Blaxploitation stereotypes and horror movie sensibilities, this cult classic can be as gruesome and violent as it can be campy and thrilling.Incidentally, in the 1950s black ghosts weren't allowed to haunt white families.Yellow Lightvidiotreviews.blogspot.ca
Unlike a number of other 1970s blaxploiation movies, the story of "J.D.'s Revenge" is a more universal one at its core; with virtually no rewriting, the characters could have been played by actors of any color. The predominantly black cast does a very professional job, especially Lou Gossett and Glynn Turman. And director Arthur Marks does add a little style and atmosphere here and there. However, the screenplay does have some big flaws. I would have liked a better explanation as to how the spirit of J.D. is resurrected, for example. But the biggest problem with the screenplay is that it unfolds extremely slowly. It takes forever for J.D. to start his quest for revenge, and when he does, it unfolds even more slowly. Things might have been better had there been more people responsible for J.D.'s death years earlier, which would have given the filmmakers the opportunity to pile up the body count at a regular pace. Despite problems such as these, this is far from the worst blaxploitation movie made... but it's also some distance from the best the genre has to offer.
I have seen many movies and played many video games. It is the most bad movie my life has seen. I live in Brasil and we get many bad movies. This is the most bad. I go to the grand theater to pay to see this movie. I stay up into the night to see this movie. The man has a spirit transcend his body and he then is a bad man. He walks around to play murder on women. I prayed. This movie is not a new movie and new movies are not all good. I typed in the words so I could tell everyone they should not see this movie. I have bad feelings about this movie. I have two children now and if they are very bad I will take them to see this movie and stay up into the night and see how bad it can be. If you think this movie is bad like I think you can email me. Sincerely, Lewis Naeem
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.