I, the Jury *** (1982, Armand Assante, Barbara Carrera, Laurene Landon, Alan King, Geoffrey Lewis, Paul Sorvino) – Classic Movie Review 11,397

The 1982 neo-noir crime thriller remake I, the Jury stars Armand Assante as mean, moody, morose gumshoe Mike Hammer.

Director Richard T Heffron’s effective and exciting 1982 American neo-noir crime thriller remake I, The Jury is based on the 1947 best-selling detective novel of the same name by Mickey Spillane.

A slick script from cult name Larry Cohen updates the novel and the 1953 Mickey Spillane 3D thriller movie I, The Jury into a story about private eye Mike Hammer’s investigation into the killing of his Vietnam buddy Detective Jack Williams (Frederic Downs), who is shot dead in his apartment. Mike saved Hammer’s life while losing his own arm.

Assante is just right as the mean, moody, morose gumshoe Hammer and so is the 80s tacky sex, especially when Hammer has a torrid fling with sex-therapist Dr Charlotte Bennett (Barbara Carrera), as well as the nasty-natured action, particularly in Hammer’s battle against ex-CIA operative Romero (Barry Snider). Also notable in the cast are Laurene Landon as Velda, Alan King as Charles Kalecki, Geoffrey Lewis as Joe Butler, and Paul Sorvino as Detective Pat Chambers.

Cohen’s 80s-era sub-plots with government conspiracies, torture and mind-control techniques (by CIA and Mafia) may not be in the novel but they are in keeping with its spirit.

I, the Jury was controversial as there are is much explicit, extended sex, nudity, nudity, violence, gunplay and action, so expectedly the film got into censorship difficulties. The MPAA requested cuts to a throat-slashing scene for an R rating for its US theatrical release in 1982. In the UK, the BFCC classified the film as an X after requiring cuts that toned down the juxtaposition of sex and violence for its UK theatrical release on 3 March 1982. But when the BFCC re-classified the film for UK home video release on 11 November 1986, using their new 18 category, they inflicted four minutes of cuts.

Larry Cohen wrote the screenplay and was hired to direct, but was replaced at short notice by veteran director Richard T Heffron when the film’s budget was allegedly getting out of control after a week of shooting. Cohen said he was fired after expressing his concerns to cast or crew over the producers running out of money. He consoled himself by immediately starting shooting Q – The Winged Serpent. Cohen claimed: ‘They went way over budget and the company went bankrupt. They sold the picture at a bankruptcy sale.’

Also in the cast are Judson Scott as Kendricks, Barry Snider as Romero, Julia Barr as Norma Childs, Jessica James as Hilda Kendricks, Frederic Downs as Jack Williams, Mary Margaret Amato as Myrna Williams, F.J. O’Neil as Goodwin, William G Schilling as Lundee, Robert Sevra as Breslin, Don Pike as Evans, Timothy Meyers as Blake, Leigh Harris as first twin, Lynette Harris as second Twin, Gwyn Gilliss as Receptionist, Mike Miller as Victor Kyle, and Alex Stevens as first Cab Driver.

It follows earlier Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer films I, the Jury (1953), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), My Gun Is Quick (1957) and The Girl Hunters (1963).

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,397

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