‘Jolt’ Review—A Desperate Misfire

Film criticism is a wonderful job. You learn a lot about movies that most people would never think twice about; for example, it’s surprisingly difficult to make a good action movie. It is not easy at all.

Tanya Wexler directs Jolt, an action comedy film starring Kate Beckinsale as Lindy, a woman with severe anger issues. She soon meets a man named Justin (Jai Courtney), and they hit it off, but when he is murdered, Lindy goes on a rage-fueled killing spree to avenge his death.

Beckinsale is a talented actress. She has had success in the action genre with the Underworld series, but she has yet to star in a truly excellent action movie. Jolt was her next shot at starring in a timeless action classic, but unfortunately, this is a poorly executed movie with very little going for it.

Some believe that it’s a bad sign when a movie opens with our protagonist’s narration. On the contrary, I think Memento and Fight Club are examples of how narration can really enhance a story. But when your movie begins with an external voice narrating exposition that can easily be given visually, that’s a truly horrible sign.

This movie tries its best to replicate the fast-paced fury of Crank with Beckinsale as an angry woman with a tendency to violently injure people who bother her. Unfortunately, right from the get-go, she isn’t the most likable protagonist, but in the right hands, Lindy could have been a fan favorite.

But that’s not what happened. Much of the film is going for dark comedy, with Lindy imagining herself murdering people over minor grievances. However, the direction doesn’t work because the performances don’t feel as funny as they could be.

Beckinsale is a talented actress with a good comedic wit, but the humorous moments seem to be played too seriously. As a result, none of the comedy is as amusing as it could be, despite the film’s attempt at a quirky tone with a dark, colorful edge.

Let’s talk about Jai Courtney. You remember that guy? He had a hell of a run in the mid-2010s, starring in the worst Die Hard movie, the worst Terminator movie, and the worst DCEU movie. His career, like Beckinsale’s, has been filled with almost-hits, which is a shame because he delivers a fine performance in this film, despite not having a lot of screen time.

As far as the action goes, there’s a good amount of it, but none of it is too memorable. For some reason, just because Lindy has rage issues, she becomes a fully trained martial artist when she’s angry. They hint at a possible supernatural explanation for this, but it doesn’t ever fully pay off in a satisfying way.

Wexler’s direction of the action sequences is passable at best. The worst of them is a fight scene near the end where Lindy fights off a group of bad guys, and throughout the entire fight, we don’t get a single close-up of Beckinsale’s face. We know Beckinsale can perform stunts, but the direction gives off the vibe that a stunt double performed the entire fight.

The ending is where the movie falls completely flat. After a few predictable revelations with no pay-offs and an underwhelming final action setpiece, the movie suddenly becomes desperate to set up a sequel, overestimating the audience’s interest in the world and the character by a mile.

While there are entertaining moments in the film, and Beckinsale has glimmers of charisma as this rage-fueled woman, the movie does not fully land. Its attempts at maintaining manic energy simply lead to an action movie that isn’t the worst we’ve seen from the genre but is definitely a desperate misfire.

Grade: ★★☆☆☆ [4/10, C-]

Jonathan’s Tips: Unless you really love Kate Beckinsale, skip this and watch Gunpowder Milkshake instead for your fix of female-led action.

Jolt is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.