Hooptober 8.0 | 32/34 | Bonus 1/3
1940s New Orleans Through glossy reflection, we witness a hustler slice Betty Jo’s throat in a meat freezer. JD, her brother, witnesses it, and someone comes to him thinking he did it. The murderer shoots JD in the chest.
Thirty years later Isaac Hendrix (Glynn Turman) is a college football player studying law. In the evenings, he drives a taxi. His wife, Christella (Joan Pringle), supports him wholeheartedly.
They go out with friends for a night on the town. They go to a strip club and a hypnotist. Isaac ends up on stage. The hypnotist suggests they are in a cold place. Isaac freezes up. His eyes grow stoic. He’s in the meat locker. He sees Betty Jo’s murder.
The next day, he goes out and buys a fedora — Christella knows that isn’t his style, but she questions it, and Isaac snaps at her. He takes the hat back to the bedroom. In the mirror reflection, we see the face of JD. Not his reflection, but something within.
Isaac takes on JD’s habits. He gambles and drives like a maniac. He says weird shit in bed like, “I’m gonna take you on a long ride” and “Daddy’s doing you good, baby” (but I guess he is better at sex?).
As JD takes control, he changes his clothes and his hair. He beats Christella. JD seeks the man who killed his sister. He finds him through the killer’s brother, the radio preacher Elijah Bliss (Louis Gossett Jr.).
Meanwhile, Christella’s ex-husband, a cop, decides that it’s time to fuck Ike up for what he’s doing to Christella.
Glynn Turman is hamming it up for most of the movie. The film treats Ike and Christella’s relationship seriously, so the silly premise has trouble balancing that with the complex relationship issues.
They also flashback to the murder scene way too often. This movie could be a solid 80 minutes and would feel much tighter.
This film is flawed and deeply fucked up, but everyone is fully committed to their performances, so it ends up better than it would be otherwise.
Stray Thoughts / Spoilers
- His doctor friend is fucked up in the way he supports Ike beating Christella
- Is it incest if Ike as JD fucks Betty Jo’s daughter?
- His hair is hilarious.
- Jesus Christ, JD rapes Christella because she laughs at his hair.
- It’s funny watching a retro movie and people talking about how retro someone else’s clothes are
- — You’re really something else. — Yeah, me and Jesus
- — Yeah, that’s right. I fucked your woman, sucker.
- Oh fuck, why does that guy keep jumping after JD when JD keeps slicing him with the razor??
- Elijah’s crisis of faith is so heavy!
- After all that, they all walk away laughing?