J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie Review

He's baaaack.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 6, 2017

Films about reincarnation seem to often fall into one of two camps, either something kind of whimsical (if in this particular example, also a bit smarmy) like Goodbye Charlie or something more supernatural like the film currently under review, though it's interesting to note that some may actually argue with J.D.'s Revenge's alternate title, The Reincarnation of J.D. Walker, since the supernatural phenomenon in this tale might be more akin to a possession than an outright reincarnation. One of the interesting things about J.D.’s Revenge is how it utilizes then prevalent “Blaxploitation” elements in its tale of a circa 1940s criminal who is killed in a case of mistaken identity and who returns decades later to possess the body and mind of a kid named Isaac Hendricks (Glynn Turman). An opening vignette documents the sad events leading to the demise of one J.D. Walker (David McKnight), though in a kind of reversal of the way films like this can tend to work, there’s a large “info dump” up front that only becomes more clear as things are developed. J.D. is involved in a heated discussion with a woman who is later revealed to be his sister, Betty Jo (Alice Jubert), a woman with a certain secret which involves two brothers of the Bliss family, Theotis (Fred Pinkard) and Elijah (Louis Gossett, Jr.). Betty Jo’s killer is clearly shown in the opening sequence, but it’s J.D. who gets fingered by an interloper and who in turn is quickly killed by that intruder.

One of those social media groups that offers pictures and anecdotes about “your hometown” recently featured a post about a hypnotist named Reveen who used to perform regularly in Salt Lake City, where I grew up. I hadn’t thought about this guy for literally decades, but as as soon as I saw his picture, I was suddenly reminded of my Dad taking me to see him when I was a kid, and of a stage full of people at that performance who were ostensibly under Reveen’s “control”, all of whom started playing imaginary ukeleles in unison. Something weirdly similar crops up fairly early in J.D.’s Revenge when hard working Isaac, who is on track to become a lawyer but who is scraping together a living driving a cab, is urged by his girlfriend Christella (Joan Pringle) to relax a little with some R & R. That partying atmosphere includes a visit to a performance by a hypnotist, in this case a woman, who puts her participants through a similar shtick laden series of behaviors, which is when all of Isaac’s problems start. With virtually no real reason given (other than a reference to cold, which brings up a quick "vision" of the meat locker where J.D. met his fate back in the day), J.D.'s spirit evidently kind of magically has access to Isaac's psyche and begins to take over.

And it’s right at this foundational element that some more persnickety viewers may question the underlying “logic” of a psychic possession of Isaac by J.D., since the connection seems downright random. There's therefore a need to just accept the fact that J.D. is in control of Isaac, at which point the film offers a sometimes disturbing portrait of an apparently kind of meek and mild mannered guy suddenly getting unsettlingly violent. In fact one of the kind of interesting sidebars to this presentation is the quasi-clinical “he’s just going crazy” hypothesis which is offered at one point. Turman's performance as Isaac is quite well done, especially since in the "interstitial" phases of the possession Isaac's actually one of the ones questioning his own sanity. There's a kind of "first person" emphasis to Jaison Starkes' screenplay that gives the film a visceral impact despite some hyperbolic plotting.

One of the more charming aspects of the film is how after it goes completely gonzo, it just as quickly returns to virtual normalcy after justice has more or less been accomplished. The underlying reason as to why J.D.’s spirit should have stuck around for so long and then attached itself to Isaac may never be satisfactorily answered in the film, but at least this particular supernatural phenomenon comes replete with a happy ending.

J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

J.D.'s Revenge is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's typically informative insert booklet contains the following information on the transfer:

J.D.'s Revenge has been exclusively restored for this release by Arrow Films. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 with original mono audio.

The original 35mm interpositive was scanned in 2K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director Scanner at EFilm, Burbank. Picture grading was complete on a DaVinci Resolve. Picture restoration was performed using PFClean software. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches and other instances of film wear were repaired or removed through a combination of digital restoration tools and techniques. Image stability was also improved.

The mono soundrtrack was created by MGM.

I'm scoring this at a 4.0, but I'll say going in I could see others more bothered by some of the variances and anomalies I'll discuss giving it something less. The best thing about this transfer is the palette, which is rather vivid and nicely saturated, especially with regard to the reds, which repeatedly come into play courtesy of some bloody flashbacks. That said, the overall look here is skewed quite a bit of the time toward brown, and that can give certain scenes a kind of dowdy look. A lot of the flashbacks (including the whole opening sequence) are shot in soft focus, and as such detail levels are pretty minimal at times. Some of the opticals are a little rough looking as well, with a kind of greenish cast hazing over black levels at times. The presentation is also surprisingly grainy most of the time, and extremely grainy to the point of looking almost like 16mm at various moments that seem to have nothing to do with lighting conditions or location work. Notice for example the fireside seduction sequence that starts at around 26:32, and how the grain field just suddenly spikes. Despite whatever stability regimens were employed, there is also occasional frame instability, typically laterally, though it's very minor and transitory. All of this said, despite the variances on display, there's a nicely organic and I'd daresay "textured" look to this presentation that may well recommend it to those who like their seventies' quasi-grindhouse fare roughhewn looking.

J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

J.D.'s Revenge features an LPCM 2.0 mono mix which can sound just slightly boxy at times at it offers up some fun music choices (the film has a dance sequence that seems to presage Saturday Night Fever), but which delivers dialogue and occasional sound effects without any problems. Fidelity is generally fine (again, with a certain boxy quality to the music in particular), and there are no issues with dropouts or distortion.

J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Killing Floor (1080p; 46:03) is a nicely done retrospective (the title of the piece refers to the original title for the film and a memorable line in the film), and includes interviews with screenwriter Jaison Starkes, director Arthur Marks, editor George Folsey, Jr., and actor Glynn Turman (who does a killer Samuel Arkoff impersonation).


• Here Lies J.D. Walker (1080p; 17:42) is an audio interview with actor David McKnight that plays out (mostly) to stills.


• Gallery (1080p; 1:05)


• Theatrical Trailer (480i; 2:08)


• Radio Spots (1080p; 1:49)


• Arthur Marks Trailer Reel

  Bonnie's Kids (480i; 3:11)

  Bucktown (480i; 2:17)

  A Woman for all Men (480i; 2:27)

  Friday Foster (480i; 2:38)

  The Monkey Hu$tle (480i; 2:20)

As usual, Arrow has also supplied a nicely appointed insert booklet with writing and stills.

J.D.'s Revenge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think J.D.'s Revenge might have worked better had a more convincing tether between J.D. and Isaac been developed. The whole possession angle, something that's key to the film's entire premise, is just kind of plopped down, with the viewer forced to accept it despite its completely farfetched underpinnings. That said, Turman is really excellent as Isaac and the film has some genuinely unsettling material as J.D.'s more violent side takes over. Technical merits are generally strong (with some minor reservations), and as usual Arrow has provided some nice supplements. Recommended.