Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Prismark10 J.D.'s Revenge is a supernatural blaxploitation revenge thriller set in 1970s New Orleans. In 1942 young hoodlum J D Walker is shot by Elija Bliss (Lou Gossett) who thinks Walker killed his woman, Betty Joe who is also JD's sister. We earlier see another person slashing Betty Joe.In the present day, 1976. Ike (Glynn Turman) is a taxi driver and law student who during an hypnotism act gets possessed by the spirit of J.D. When he gets taken over he gets cruel and violent towards his girlfriend. He injures a passenger in his cab.Ike starts to stalk Elija Bliss who is now a preacher and comes close to exposing the truth as he uncovers the person who really did kill his sister.It is nicely acted by Turman who gets to play a Jekyll and Hyde type character. Gossett has a scene stealing turn as a preacher who is rather modelled on Muhammad Ali as he shadow boxes during his sermons.The film treads the path of other blaxploitation films of that era with violence. blood and nudity. It is though less cheesy though but it is also rather uneven, with a slow pace and an undeveloped plot.

Michael_Elliott J.D.'s Revenge (1976) ** 1/2 (out of 4)This blaxploitation film starts off in the 1940s as a man is shot dead by some mobsters. Fast-forward to the current times and law student Isaac (Glynn Turman) is out with his girlfriend and friends when he is hypnotized. It doesn't take long for something to snap in Isaac and before he knows it he's got the spirit of the dead man in him and he goes seeking revenge.J.D.'s REVENGE is a pretty good blaxploitation movie that not only pay homage to the various gangster classics but it also has a touch of the Jekyll and Hyde storyline. I'm a little surprised that this film isn't better known among fans of the genre because the picture is quite sleazy at times and features all the terrific dialogue and situations that you'd expect.I think some of the best moments happen towards the end and especially when the Isaac character begins to change and become more and more like a gangster rather than his "good" self. Turman does a very good job in the role as he's basically playing two different parts and he's quite believable in both. I especially liked him in the role of the bad guy and I thought the actor did a marvelous job at switching back and forth between the characters as well as the multiple personalities of the bad guy. You also get some nice supporting performances including Louis Gossett, Jr. as a Reverend with a few secrets of his own.The horror elements of the picture are good for what they are but I think a lot of people will be shocked to see how sleazy the movie is. There's all sorts of nudity as well as a couple graphic sex scenes that help make the picture stand out. You've also got that "jive" or hip style of talking throughout and this too adds to the entertainment. J.D.'S REVENGE might not be the most original movie out there but there are a lot of good elements that make it worth watching.

daniel-mannouch I first heard about JD's Revenge on a TV special called 50 Worst Movies Ever Made (2004) and it made #8. Whatever Ebert camper wrote in to have this quite unique experience 28 places down the pecking order from Ishtar!, hoped that by just showing the trailer and having the obnoxious narrator do a a oh so no care at all description of the plot would be enough to convince people of it's apparent 'awfulness'. The possible hope that viewers would clutch their pearls at the sounds of a black man saying the n word aggressively and mistake an authentic representation of a 40's zoot suit clad black gangster as a then contemporary racial stereotype. Either the makers of that actually quite high quality list compared to today's IMDb bottom 150 fare failed to recognise the Jekyll and Hyde parallels or got too much caught up in the game and thought being repulsed by intentionally repulsive scenes was a sure sign of bad film making. Sure it has pacing problems, but what Blaxploitation film doesn't? Apart from Jack Hill's films, but their you go. On the whole though, it was just the style, regardless of the director's colour. From Fanaka to Parks Jr. to Marks here, audience gratification peaked at 40% regarding filmmaking intentions, there were always messages to be had, like the sideshow carnival like exploitation of black church goers for one instance. J.D's Revenge ain't a popcorn film, but it's sure as hell still a white knuckle ride through sly and subtle racial political commentary and genuine and authentic feeling characters. On top of this, it is also one of the most vividly imaginative screen adaptions of Robert Louis Stevenson's Victorian novella that i can recall seeing since Borowczyk's Dr Jekyll and His Women, and that, is, a feat. Though i haven't seen it, i doubt even Dr Black and Mr Hyde would be a better blaxploitation retelling of the Gothic classic than this truly overlooked gem. It's a rough one though. Their's some awkward sex scenes to say the least and JD Walker is as a pure and jive incarnation of evil as I've ever remembered seeing on screen. Rape, incest, razors, it's all him and he takes it in his stride. These elements can be attributed to it's under-appreciated status in Blaxploitation cinema as there is little of the expected 'butt dancing' mentality in this one to quote the titular mean mother. Though admittedly, there is also a Ted V. Miekels atmosphere at times, especially with the ending.The most striking element of this film and why it hooks you in so is the contrast between law student Issac and the fire breathing JD. Glynn Turman (what a voice) gives an astounding performance as two polar opposite walks of the black experience. Intelligent and compassionate one side, darkly charismatic and demonically energetic the other. It's a tour de force, simply put. Everyone else is given a lot of improv leeway and it surely gives the film a distinctive taste, for better and worse, mostly better though as some of the line deliveries of otherwise overblown dialogue feel loose and organic, which is uncommon in Blaxploitation and exploitation cinema in general. In conclusion, JD's Revenge is defo a case of one of these is not like the others as it's a tough, mean and surprisingly moral affair that has so many striking elements, it's almost as tough as the film itself not to give it at least one watch. Highly recommended.

Infofreak Found half-hidden in the back of my local video store, the cheesy packaging made it look like a tongue in cheek blaxploitation horror movie good for a few laughs. But the packaging misled, this is a surprisingly serious and effective supernatural revenge thriller. Nice guy cabbie/law student Ike (Glynn Turman - 'Cooley High') becomes possessed by nasty Forties pimp J.D. Walker (David McKnight). Ike/J.D. is intent on avenging the murder of his sister. Local Preacher Reverend Bliss (b-grade favourite Lou Gossett Jr.) is somehow involved. Not a great movie, but a good one, and worth watching for Turman's excellent double turn if nothing else. This movie deserves to be better known.