Customer Reviews

Juncture

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This movie was a nice surprise. Better than I thought it would be for a small indie. Some great extras features too that you almost never find with low budget films. Beautiful cinematography and excellent pacing, it's more of a drama/suspense film than an action/thriller.

This is a really good movie. Great action and good story. Thought provoking. Superb production values, directing, and acting.

I popped the DVD in late one night to get some preview extras before I went to bed. I ended up watching the whole film right to the end. It's not too often that a film can pull me in that easily.

Juncture (2007) is an interesting and provocative drama that centers around Anna Carter (Christine Blackport). In her 20's, she is executive director of the Lamont Foundation, a philanthropic organization. Anna has a terminal brain tumor, and has just a few months to live. With an extremely short term perspective, she has decided that the best way to "help", is to kill those that perpetrate crimes.

Anna's job takes her to various places across the country. Often travelling on a private jet, she apparently is able to bring firearms with her. While in town on business, she also squeezes in time for some vigilante justice, after having carefully researched the case, and concluding that her victim deserves to die. Whether by violence or other means, Anna has the will and resolve to see that "justice" is done. Her actions separate her from society, and the drive to complete her mission, affects her closest personal relationships.

It might be fair to assume that before the tumor changed her life, Anna was something of a do-gooder. If so, it is clear is that this is no longer the case. She has chosen a dangerous course of action, and is determined to see it through. Violence is part of her past, as her family was killed in a home invasion. Orphaned, she was rescued by Jonathan Lamont (John Hutton), and later joined his foundation. Romance comes into her life in the form of Dr. Michael Reese (Bill LeVasseur), but mere love won't keep Anna from continuing her mission, keeping her activities secret from her best friend Chloe (Elizabeth Rose) and her mentor Jonathan, as the pain in her head continues to increase. When she stumbles, and the law closes in on her, events take some unexpected turns, that sends Anna on a very personal mission.

Director James Seale had positive experiences shooting his previous film Throttle (2005) in Denver. Much of Juncture is also shot in Denver, and features many local actors, including star Christine Blackport, who makes her feature film debut. Blackport is far from an action hero type, but manages to bring some toughness to the role. Juncture is pretty dark, and remains uncompromisingly so, as the character Anna Carter, isn't sweetened to be more likeable. The vigilante thing may not be too believable, but Anna's imperfections help to make the character more real, as she botches up an attempt to send a priest to meet his maker, and her careless with another victim almost costs her life.

The film features a fairly comprehensive making of featurette, and an informative and fun commentary track with director Searle, producer Kevin Duncan, director of photography Richard Lerner, and a very enthusiastic Christine Blackport. Lots of fun facts are revealed, as quite a lot was accomplished on a modest budget.

Juncture is more of a tale of suspense, and examination of morality, rather than a shoot em up. There are some issues with story, which certainly could have been tighter, but it mostly holds your interest. The action scenes, while not always plausible, are mostly well done. If the subject of vigilantism tickles your fancy, you may want to take a look.

John Huston once said that a good story should have "excitement, color, spectacle and humor, adventure, high drama, tragedy, good conversation, truth and irony". Although 2007's "Juncture" is missing most of these ingredients it does manage to put most of its tiny budget on the screen in a professional manner and should get high marks for the crew's hard work. But it is one of those sow's ears to silk purse things where you just can't do much with such a weak script (thankfully the writer has had no screen credits since).

This low budget action picture is basically a combination of "Death Wish" (1974) and "La Femme Nikita" (1990); with a sterile heroine both homicidal and irritable from a bad headache.

Kristine Blackport, in her first and only feature, plays Anna Carter, an executive who has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. With three months to live she decides to check out with a bang by taking out criminals who have abused children and been inadequately punished by the judicial system. That old vigilante justice thing.

Blackport looks like Leighton Meester, which probably accounts for a lot of close-ups of her face and eyes. This is a good thing with Meester, because an "actress" is able to use close-ups to nonverbally convey things about her character and to connect with viewers. Unfortunately Blackport's skills are more on the order of Ali Larter (well maybe not quite that bad); with an emotional and sensuality range confined to a look of dull surprise and the occasional blink. A competent "acting for the camera" director could have helped, but James Seale appears to entirely lack that skill set. Like the writer, he too has been on the sidelines since directing this movie. Blackport fares much better on the DVD's behind the scenes featurette, where you begin to suspect that Seale's directing contributions add up to "less than zero".

So poor Blackport gamely plods around with little help from the likewise unskilled supporting cast as they cut back and forth between wide master shots and extreme closeups; without managing to create an identifiable point of view or a character with any sort of dimensionality.

The DVD release includes a filmmaker's commentary (gag), a behind the scenes featurette (excellent), deleted scenes, trailers, and Spanish subtitles. Given all this extra stuff it is extremely odd that they did not choose to include English subtitles. The audio is a not very good and Blackport's squeaky "Rocky the Flying Squirrel" voice is often inaudible. Maybe this was a way to add some dimensionality to the Anna Carter character, a viewer can mentally replace inaudible elements of lame dialogue with comments from Robert Shiller about the state of the economy.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I first saw this movie at a red box at a Mcdonalds, the cover caught my eye. I rented it through my Netflix account and fell in love with the movie. Kristine Blackport was fantastic being her first role in a movie. I then new I had to have the movie for my DVD collection. I give the movie an A++

I found this movie thru myspace and I thought it was a great film. I even watched the behind the scenes footage and it's clear that this was done before Wanted. I really love indie films but this felt more like a big budget movie. The acting is ok, but overall is was a great flick. I love the fact that it left room for a sequel.

-Kathy

This movie is straight home made. the acting and picture is trash and the film is boring from beginning to end. Do not get this movie i rented it and the main actor is the worst i ever seen. Other members are trying to sell there copies that is why they gave it 4-5 stars
but -negative 1 million for me

Yeah all i have to say is a rip off of Wanted same cover put bradgolina in this chicks place and there you go and ive never seen either one lol