‘JOLT’ IS an action thriller starring the sassy Kate Beckinsale, who has previously shown she can throw punches and kicks convincingly in such flicks as “Van Helsing” and the “Underworld” franchise
She’s now 48 years old but still looks so sexy and much younger on screen.
In “Jolt”, she plays Lindy, who is so volatile that saying she’s temperamental will surely be an understatement.
As a child, she’s prone to beating up with almost supernatural force all her classmates who annoy her. She’s eventually diagnosed with a rare ailment called IED or intermittent explosive disorder.
To control her murderous emotions that often lead to anger and outrage, she is given a vest with an electrode that gives her a jolt to shock her and suppress her violent impulses.
She has an unhappy childhood with her irresponsible parents and grows up unable to connect with people. She finds work as a bouncer but was fired when she beats up a customer.
She communicates only with her shrink, Dr. Ivan (Stanley Tucci), who tells her that what she really lacks in life is a lovelife.
She then goes on a blind date with a hunky and amiable accountant named Justin (Jai Courtney). And although she is resisting him at first, she eventually falls for his charms.
They spend a beautiful night together and she’s ecstatic that she finally has found a reason to love.
The next night, he promises to cook dinner for her in his own apartment, but she soon learns from the cops that Justin has just been murdered.
Of course, she gets heatbroken and is enraged over the fact that just when she has found someone to love at last then, he is quickly killed.
The cops can’t seem to do anything, so she decides to find the killer on her own.
Two police detectives investigating the case then pursue her to stop her in her quest for revenge, Vicars (Bobby Canavale) and Nevin (Laverne Cox.)
She learns that the man who ordered Justin’s death is an untouchable crime lord, Gareth Fizel (David Bradley), who lives in the top floor of a huge skyscraper.
She first encounters his chief henchman, Delacroix (Ori Pfeffer), and his assorted bodyguards who she handily dispatches all by herself in well staged fight scenes.
But Delacroix succeeds to treacherously strike her down and takes her to his private torture chamber to torment her.
But you know how things go when the hero in this kind of action flicks start fighting back. Eventually, she gets to confront Gareth Fizel face to face, but will she be in for a shocking twist in the plot.
And there’s another big surprise at the film’s final scene with the unexpected appearance of an Oscar-winning actress who informs Lindy of future possibilities about her prospective career, suggesting that there might be a sequel.
The movie has an interesting fresh premise with its high concept shock therapy plot element and what carries it through is Kate Beckinsale’s energetic presence as the ferocious heroine.
This is presented by Director Tanya Wexler as an action flick with liberal touches of dark comedy.
It reeks with women’s lib sentiments since women in general really have lots of reasons to be angry with the way some sexist macho chauvinists treat them. Just ask the irate members of the MeToo movement and feel their bottled up fury.
“Jolt” is pure popcorn trash that most film critics will enjoy tearing into pieces.
But honestly, we enjoyed it as it has no pretensions, with Beckinsdale and Tucci’s sharp performances transcending the silliness of the plotline, along with Cannavale and Cox.
There’s wacky banter between them and it’s enough for you to give the film a shot, specially that scene where Kate and Cox have a showdown inside a nursery full of crying babies in a hospital.
Kate, for one, is joltingly awesome in this action-thriller. She owns it and she delivers, charging with full steam ahead as she maims everyone around her and gleefully personifies righteous female anger.
And it’s obvious she’s having a blast, making the film even more breezily entertaining. The movie is over all glossy in look and technical aspects are well above average.
