Director: Todd Bartoo
Writer: Todd Bartoo (Screenplay)
Starring: Jamie Bernadette, Teo Celigo, Erik Aude, David Carey Foster, Daniel Gardner
Plot: An enforcer for the mob enacts her revenge on those who wronged her.
Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: The Death Wish We Wanted in 2018
Story: Killing Joan starts as we meet Joan (Bernadette) a ruthless enforcer for the mob that leads her own squad including Miles (Aude) and Henry (Basco) doing the work for Frank (Foster). Joan’s temper leads her to make mistakes which are not respected by the rest of the gang which leads to her betrayed by her own gang.
Left for dead Joan seems to gain a supernatural ability as her quest for revenge goes after the ones near and dear that left her for dead, with her ex-boyfriend Anthony (Celigo) being the only support, Joan aims to clean up the streets on the ones she once worked for.
Thoughts on Killing Joan
Characters – Joan is an enforcer for the mob, she is strict, has an attitude, but is fair to the people she is collecting from. When she is left for dead, she returns with new gifts that make her a force to be reckoned with on her revenge mission. This is a strong female leading role which we often see a male performer take on. Anthony is the ex-girlfriend of Joan’s he works in a youth housing for the homeless he is opposite to Joan and becoming a problem for the gang she works for. He offers the help she needs after what happens to her which only leads him to become her biggest weakness. Frank runs the gang with Miles, Henry being part of it, there are your typical gangsters which will get what they want at any means.
Performances – Jamie Bernadette is the star of this movie, she gives us the strong ass kicking female lead and runs with it, to become the star o the movie. When you dive into the rest of the performances they are good without being on the same level as Bernadette’s.
Story – The story is a revenge movie which follows the one character that wants revenge after being betrayed by the mob she is part off. This is a story we know where most of the turns can come and go, but this film does offer us another spin on this again with supernatural elements. While this is an enjoyable watch, it does feel like it is split in two at times, the opening is a crime action film the second half gives us the horror story and opens doors for the story you didn’t see coming.
Action/Crime/Horror – The action is the combat sequences you would imagine for this style of movie, but as all the good ones the final one is the stand out, the whole film is centred in the crime world with the horror offering a supernatural twist to the revenge movie.
Settings – The settings are the normal for a crime movie, we have back allies, abandoned warehouses to make sure no one will see dealings.
Special Effects – The effects are very impressive for a low budget movie, they have a feel of something we hadn’t seen with the supernatural elements that are given to Joan.
Scene of the Movie – The new powers.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The gangsters are not the most interesting or original.
Final Thoughts – This is a revenge movie that you are going to enjoy because of the different direction the movie ends up going in.
Overall: With Death Wise coming out this year, the revenge movie is going to be getting attention, this is one you will need to be watching.
Rating
