This is hard-edged, occasionally hard to watch (that, well, lets call what it is, rape in the guise of a "lovemaking" scene, and a couple other abuse scenes, so CW I guess) and occasionally funny in a very dark sensibility, and brutal in how Marks and co depict some of the imagery, like the montages of sliced cow carcasses, the cackling face of pure evil in the mirror, and at one point a cab ride from hell that almost rivals that one car ride in Point Blank. This is also a movie where Lou Gossett Jr plays an insanely charismatic preacher who Isaaic comes into contact with and knows he has a deep bond with. And ultimately this is Turman's show and he is really getting to play a *Lot* of characters in one, and that deep exagerrated voice, a full spectrum from mild-mannered to the craven and over the top abusive dickwad.
On one hand, this is commentary on the Black experience, or at least the perception of it - that JD is that rough, cold, violent side that, frankly, is what many white people flash to when that uber-masculine "pimp" kind of persona comes up with Black men, or even men in general, and that this extreme can be taken into genre via supernatural turns - though on the other hand it feels like it is (or could be) repetitive in how JD is acting and practically no one sees that he is not Ike (like, how many times can we see what was done with all that meat!)
As the movie rolls into the third act, it not so much goes even crazier than it just goes further into its most horrific sensibilities. I don't think this is even all that much *fun* throughout, and Marks knows that it shouldn't be. JD's Revenge has the genre down pat, and yet it isn't kidding when it comes to the brutality in the swagger. I mention how white people see JD Walker as the Ultimate Kind of Black Man to Watch Out For, but he's very real to so many women out there.... And yes, it doesn't forget some meaty WTF one-liners
On one hand, this is commentary on the Black experience, or at least the perception of it - that JD is that rough, cold, violent side that, frankly, is what many white people flash to when that uber-masculine "pimp" kind of persona comes up with Black men, or even men in general, and that this extreme can be taken into genre via supernatural turns - though on the other hand it feels like it is (or could be) repetitive in how JD is acting and practically no one sees that he is not Ike (like, how many times can we see what was done with all that meat!)
As the movie rolls into the third act, it not so much goes even crazier than it just goes further into its most horrific sensibilities. I don't think this is even all that much *fun* throughout, and Marks knows that it shouldn't be. JD's Revenge has the genre down pat, and yet it isn't kidding when it comes to the brutality in the swagger. I mention how white people see JD Walker as the Ultimate Kind of Black Man to Watch Out For, but he's very real to so many women out there.... And yes, it doesn't forget some meaty WTF one-liners