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.

Mark Turner I've been a fan of Blaxploitation films for some time now. Those films made mostly in the 70s that featured an urban setting, starred black actors in lead roles and usually ran to either heavy duty action flicks or twists on horror films. They were pure entertainment made for theaters that catered to black audiences but that found fans among all races. Titles like Friday FOSTER, SLAUGHTER, BLACULA and DR. BLACK AND MR. HYDE were regular features shown in theaters that catered to fans.J.D.'S REVENGE is one among the many films of this genre that was much better than one would expect. It opens in 1942 with a black gangster arguing with a woman who then slashes her throat killing her. J.D. Walker runs in to find her dead, blood on his hands when he picks her up and then discovered by her lover who kills him on the spot.Fast forward to present day (in this case 1976). Isaac (Glynn Turman) is a law student who drives a cab part time. Live in girlfriend Christella (Joan Pringle) encourages him to get ahead. They head out for a night on the town with two friends and end up at a club where Isaac is hypnotized. Unfortunately that provides a gateway for J.D. to reenter the world and possess Isaac off and on.Christella and his friends know something is wrong but they can't quite figure out what it is. One moment Isaac is fine and the next he seems like someone else altogether, which of course he is. And when he is he is prone to violent acts of rage.The story begins to flesh out when Isaac ends up in a church where ex-boxer turned preacher Rev. Elija Bliss (Louis Gossett Jr.) is preaching. It was Bliss who killed J.D. all those years ago. The woman murdered was J.D.'s sister and Bliss was her lover. As the possessed Isaac watches he begins to plan his revenge. Just who really killed his sister is yet unknown but will be revealed by the last portion of the film.There is plenty of story involved in this movie, enough that it needn't have been a Blaxploitation film at all. It stands on its own as a tale of possession, revenge, love, hate and the supernatural. The acting is well done by all involved and shows Turman at the top of his game. For some reason he seemed to find more work on TV than in films and that's sad. He deserved better.The film doesn't rely on gore to tell the story and uses the abilities of Turman in the shifting role of Isaac/J.D. instead. Some special effects are on hand but they are not used in such a way as to become the centerpiece. It is Turman's performance that makes the film work. The end result is a movie that while part of the whole Blaxploitation genre is among the best that was offered.Arrow Video is releasing this in their usual manner, which means the best edition you will find. The movie itself is a 2k restoration from original film elements produced exclusively for this Arrow release. There are numerous interviews on hand here, the original theatrical trailer, reversible sleeve artwork, a collection of trailers for the films of director Arthur Marks and for the first pressing of the title a booklet written by author Kim Fields. If you bought this long ago on video or one of the numerous bootleg copies that have existed for some time, now is the time to step up to this edition. It also surpasses the Soul Cinema collection edition released before.

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** Gunned down at a New Orleans meat market in 1942 by Theotis Bliss, Fred Pinkard, after he had murdered his sister Betty Jo, Alice Jubert, who was carrying his child J.D Walker, David McKnight, waited in the world beyond to come back and get his revenge not just against Theotis but his born again brother Elija, Louis Gossett. Jr, who was married to her. Now some thirty years later J.D got his chance by, through an hypnosis session , occupying the body & soul of collage law student Issas "Ike" Hendrix, Glynn Truman, to avenge his sister's murder that Theotis framed him for.This turned out to be a life changing event for Isaac who turned from a sweet harmless and kindly collage boy into an cold blooded and unfeeling psychopath when ever J.D took over his body. The first to notice this change in Isaac was his live-in girlfriend Christella, Joan Pringle, whom he unmercifully brutalized, to enforce his macho and lady killer image, to the point that she left him. Tracking down the Bliss brothers J.D plans to do them both in by getting them to go the the scene of the crime, the slaughterhouse, where Betty Jo was murdered by Theotis with the innocent, in Betty Jo's death, Elija now a well respected reverend slated to witness the gory event.****SPOILERS**** With J.D pulling all the strings he got both Elija and Theotis to duke it out with each other in revealing that it was Theotis who actually knocked up his brother's wife Betty Jo behind his back. Added to the mix is Elija or better yet Theotis' illegitimate daughter Roberta, also played by Alice Jubert, who tried to prevent the two brothers from killing each other only to accidentally shoot and kill,in a struggle for the gun, her dad Theotis in the confusion. While this was happening J.D was whooping it up and doing some kind of crazy war dance in the background keeping himself out of harms way. J.D in the end did get his long sought revenge and as for the man he used to do it Isaac Hendrix he was later exonerated of all of J.D's crimes since it was proved that he wasn't in his right mind when he committed them.

tonypuma A solid standout from most Black flicks of the middle 70's, JD's Revenge provided an early platform for Glynn Turman (Cooley High) to prove his acting prowess. By playing essentially two characters at once, Turman's passion for the roles combines with the spookiness of the New Orleans setting for memorable results. Louis Gossett plays an excellent preacher with a sordid past. The horror edge of this film is a little heavy-handed, but it is considerably better than most of the genre. A great Black thriller.