A GUN FOR JENNIFER

A brief pre-credits prologue introduces us to a gang of women who burst into the apartment of rapist Josh (Fatmir Haskaj, BULLET) and serve their own brand of rough justice upon him.

Next we meet demure Allison (Deborah Twiss, IN BETWEEN), who gets off the bus in New York, hoping to forge a new life for herself after fleeing from her abusive spouse.

Unfortunately it's mere moments later that two hoodlums drag her into an alley to mug her. They decide it'd be fun to rape her while they're at it, but as luck would have it Allison is saved when the gang from the opening scene turns up and kills both men good and proper.

Allison is taken quivering to the gang's hideout, a sleazy bar called Widow's Den. Over a glass of wine, she tells them that her name is Jennifer. There, we learn that the gang is run by the seriously angry Jesse (Freida Hoops) and that they comprise of women who have all being abused previously.

With nowhere to stay, Allison reluctantly accepts an offer from Jesse's sister Trish (Sheila Schmidt) to stay at her place overnight.

Meanwhile detectives Perez (Benja Kay) and Grady (Joseph Pallister, GRIND) are called to Josh's homicide. Two fellow detectives turn up and, upon spying Josh's severed penis, remark how that's the third castration they've seen that day. Although they disagree, Perez is convinced there's a pattern - that some kind of vigilante mob is on the loose. Her only clue is Allison's driving licence, which was found on one of the other victims' bodies …

The following morning Allison/Jennifer tells Trish that she must be getting on her way. But Trish makes it all too clear that her gang saved Jennifer's life by murdering two people - there's no way Jesse will let her go now.

Jennifer is let in to the gang via a trip away to a country cabin where they teach how to use a pistol. Back in the city, she starts working at Widow's Den with the other girls as a barmaid and before long attracts attention from two drunken patrons. Before the night is out Jesse and co have made sure these bozos pay for their ill manners by way of humiliation.

But it's when a violent punk called Snake (Douglas Gorenstein, SMOKE SCREENS) comes rampaging into the bar with a gun, wanting to avenge his brother's death, that the heat is really turned up.

Jesse manages to kill Snake before he harms Jennifer, but as a result Perez turns up and is immediately suspicious that Jesse may be her vigilante. On top of that, she knows that she recognises Jennifer's face from somewhere …

So Perez and Grady begin to stakeout the gang while their colleagues and boss still refuse to believe that there is any connection between the growing number if rapist fatalities in the city.

In the meantime, Jesse's gang have their sights set on two big fish: a corrupt mayor and a Mobster renowned for human trafficking …

A GUN FOR JENNIFER has had a famously bumpy ride so far. Thanks to endless rights issues over the soundtrack and unforeseen financial woes, it's taken the film 10 years to finally see the light of day commercially (check out the excellent IN THE BELLY OF THE BEAST documentary on disc 2 of THE MANSON FAMILY for more on this).

In a curious way, I think it's bad luck has done it a favour. The raw grainy look and the amateurish feel of the film perfectly evoke the low-budget grindhouse films of the 1970s - very much in vogue these days.

Blessed with a seedy eye for New York that instantly recalls the work of Abel Ferrara (BAD LIEUTENANT; MS 45), A GUN FOR JENNIFER is certainly a gritty film - and all the better for it: it immerses you in it's seedy underworld dwellings and helps you to appreciate the problems these characters face.

Police work looks dangerous and ugly in the film - as I've no doubt it is - and each character is convincingly written and performed.

The pacing of Todd Morris' (MOLOTOV SAMBA) direction is fluid and spunky, keeping the script tight and the action frequent. When more background info is needed on characters, co-writers Morris and Twiss are savvy enough to incorporate homages to cheesy old detective films such as having Grady and Perez spy on Jesse while narrating her rap-sheet to us.

The low budget ensures that the FX also seem reminiscent of the halcyon days of 1970's exploitation - all ridiculously volatile squib effects during shootouts, and cheap-looking prosthetics for castrations and throat-slashings. Again, it all works superbly.

The soundtrack merits a mention too, boasting a clutch of post-punk indie tracks by various female-led bands including Tribe 8, who also briefly appear in the film. Imagine early The Pixies with a droll woman on vocals - that's very much the style of the music here, and it fits extremely well.

Twiss is a weak lead. She seems a little shy in front of the camera (it was her first time), and unfortunately as a result her character doesn't impress upon the viewer as much as those of Jesse or Perez. Even peripheral gang members Priscilla (Veronica Cruz, ON EDGE) and Grace (Tracy Dillon, LORD OF THE VAMPIRES) seem to have more to offer.

Performances in general though are very energetic and convincingly angry. As is the dialogue - for a film filled with female characters, this is amusingly macho stuff: I lost count of how many times I heard the phrase "Shut the fuck up!" being screamed out of the TV.

And, despite Twiss' slow start at making an impression, Jennifer does finally come into her own in the film's thrilling (and gory) finale …

All in all, JENNIFER is a great trip back to low-budget American exploitation 70s-style (although it was made in the mid-90's. It's done what Tarantino and Rodriguez failed to achieve, despite their entertaining attempts: it's pulled it off with raw authenticity.

Independent Partners' region-free disc presents the film uncut in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, which judging by the framing is the correct way to watch it.

Images are a little grainy and there's quite a bit of speckling evident here and there. By and large though, neither of these factors prove to be too distracting and are likely a result of the poor source than any defect in the DVD mastering. In an odd way, the rough picture further helps to give the film an authentic 70s vibe.

The English 2.0 audio is a solid and consistent affair that does its job well. There's also a German 2.0 audio option, as well as removable German subtitles.

Static menu pages include a scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 6 chapters.

The main extra on the disc is a 15-minute video interview with Twiss, conducted in English. There's a bizarre twist 6 minutes in, where Twiss stops talking to the camera to answer her mobile phone. She has someone called Torsten on the line, who proceeds to ask her questions for the remainder of the featurette.

Twiss comments on how her own experience working in a strip club inspired the film, how an embezzling accountant financed the bulk of the production and about the excitement of showing the film at festivals around the world. You get the feeling Twiss could talk all day, but that's not a problem as she's very informative and interesting. Which is all good and well, but this did leave me pining for more - like a commentary with her and Morris, perhaps?

Elsewhere we get a trailer for A GUN FOR JENNIFER which looks very exciting but is in German audio only.

Finally we're offered trailers for two titles from Independent Partner's "Midnite Xpress" series: LOVE and VAMPIRE DIARY (neither of which look particularly worth pursuing).

Mondo Macabro are said to be working on an American DVD release of the film. How long that will take is anyone's guess (there's no mention of it on their official site) - it may, what with the unresolved soundtrack rights issues Stateside - that their release never materialises. Or if it does, it may be that Morris has to revisit his debut feature and come up with a different soundtrack. Which would be a crying shame, as the soundtrack is very much a prominent feature of the film.

Either way, this German release is a much-appreciated alternative in the meantime. Thank the Lord, A GUN FOR JENNIFER was worth the wait.

Review by Stuart Willis