JOLT

Action movies can be so simplistic if they want to be yet they can be so memorable and powerful with an audience if executed well enough. Jolt is certainly one that fits the bill of having a simple narrative with plenty of potential however, does it do enough to earn its place amongst some of the great action movies we've been blessed with over the past few years?

A bouncer (Kate Beckinsale) 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.

Jolt is an incredibly light and breezy action movie, the set up is simple and there's not a lot of excess baggage when it comes to emotional weight behind the main character and her motives. The action feels a little restraint in all honesty, considering this is a film about a woman who gives herself an electric shock to stop any murderous urges, save for a few of the fight scenes. I expected them to go a bit more outside of the box with it all and go ridiculous at times however, the most ridiculous thing to happen in this film is the way a waitress behaves when Jai Courtney's Justin is trying to order a dish that doesn't contain nuts. 

That being said, Jolt is still a film that you can have plenty of fun with. Tanya Wexler shows she can handle an action sequence, even if they aren't as exhilirating as you hope, and Scott Wascha's writing is clearly a sign that this isn't a film to be taken too seriously with the amount of quips and throwaway lines that are just spouted out left, right and centre. The film does suffer a little as a result, with Lindy never really feeling like a character to really get behind and root for, mainly because she's a little annoying but also because there isn't enough there to warrant the direction the film takes.

We all know Kate Beckinsale can carry an action franchise with the amount of Underworld films that were released and her performance here in Jolt is certainly a fun one that you can just sit down with a bucket of popcorn to. She's fierce and you can feel the frustration Lindy faces from her condition through Beckinsale's performance. The supporting cast is a bit hit and miss, which does often happen in action movies such as Jolt with a short runtime. Bobby Cannavale and Stanley Tucci are probably the best of the bunch however, none of them get enough time to really make too much of an impression.

People looking for a swift ninety-minute action movie might end up loving Jolt however, I felt it could have done with stretching itself out a bit to make it feel more worthwhile to follow this character's story. If the final moments of the film are anything to go by, it might well end up being yet another film that tries to build a franchise without ensuring the first film delivers initially. This is a habit I hope Hollywood falls out of soon but I doubt they'll ever learn.

Verdict: ★★½