Jolt

Sometimes all we want to see is an unhinged woman kick some ass.  Shocking isn't it?

That’s where Jolt, a B-grade revenge flick now streaming on Amazon Prime, comes into play.  Kate Beckinsale is back and this time, instead of leading an army of vampires through the night she’s a one-woman wrecking crew who must “jolt” herself in order to not rip the heads off of the people she meets.

"leaves you with a smile on your face while you scratch your head at its unbelievable moments"


So what happens when she stops electrocuting herself to maintain control?  Watch this flick and find out, brothers and sisters, because while it might not be original, Jolt certainly has enough kinetic swagger in its step to be worthy of your attention for at least one viewing.

Thanks to a camera and an editing style which never once pauses for very long, Jolt is really forgettable stuff, but it is worth it to see a blonde Beckinsale hook a man's testicles up to a car battery and let it rip.  Her character, who suffers from major debilitating anger management issues,  truly does not give two shits about the damage she inflicts on her way to discover who it was who killed her would-be boyfriend.

She lives for a high body count.

Directed by Tanya Wexler (Hysteria), Jolt is the story of the never normal plight of Lindy (Beckinsale).  It opens with a zippy backstory which showcases some of her ill-fitting responses to super normal everyday stuff.  The montage is both hilarious and a bit touching as some of us can relate to feeling just this side of normal in a lot of the same situations.  

But everything goes to the extreme with Lindy.  Her fantasies are pretty wild when it comes to normal everyday responses and they might leave you laughing. 

Which is how she gets involved with a psychiatrist who has figured out the best way to tame her wilder responses.  Dr. Munchin (Stanley Tucci, who turns in another fun performance) has made her a device - an electronic vest-looking system if you will - that electrocutes her every time she presses a button.  It is to be used when she is really struggling to cope with the world around her.Jolt

But when her third hot date with a man named Justin (Jai Courtney) goes sideways and she finds herself in front of Detectives Vicar (Bobby Cannavale) and Nevin (Laverne Cox) as they inform her that the guy she considered her “maybe” boyfriend has been killed, she finds herself wanting to embrace her erratic behavior and solve his murder on her own.  

So much for being normal.  It was overrated anyway, which seems to be the message that screenwriter Scott Wascha wants to tell us.  Hell, it certainly works for Lindy as she steals evidence, a car, and kicks a whole lot of ass in some excruciating ways on her way to the closing credits.  Jolt doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it doesn’t have to.  Revenge is pretty cut and dry, you know?

Full of some comical escapades and a wink-and-a-nudge attitude, Jolt in all of its frenetic fury is never meant to be taken seriously, but that works in its favor.  Even the sex scene will make you squirm a bit.  The film works more often than it doesn’t, and usually always leaves you with a smile on your face while you scratch your head at its unbelievable moments.

Jolt is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Go ahead and get shocked.  Beckinsale's back, baby!  Just don’t beat yourself up about its questionable use of feminism.

3/5 stars


Film Details

Jolt

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence, sexual content, and language throughout.
Runtime:
91 mins
Director
: Tanya Wexler
Writer:
Scott Wascha
Cast:
Kate Beckinsale; Jai Courtney; Stanley Tucci
Genre
: Action | Drama
Tagline:
You're in for a shock.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I had no idea how small time I was until I met you."
Distributor:
Amazon
Official Site:
Release Date:
July 23, 2021
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:

Synopsis: A bouncer with a slightly murderous anger-management problem that she controls with the help of an electrode-lined vest she uses to shock herself back to normalcy whenever she gets homicidal. After the first guy she's ever fallen for is murdered, she goes on a revenge-fueled rampage to find the killer while the cops pursue her as their chief suspect.

Art

Jolt