I can’t remember the last time I cared about Kate Beckinsale. Oh, wait, yes I can – never. I had so little respect or admiration for her career that when they replaced her in those shitty Underworld films, I never even noticed. Well, I care now — at least a little. Better late than never? All it took was making a film that got my attention. This one got me with a Jolt … for awhile, anyway.
Lindy has issues. They started out as just physiological, but as li’l Lindy (Beckinsale) grew and developed, they’re as much psychological as they are biological. Lindy overreacts, violently, to any “deserving” stimuli. Her response mechanism to rudeness or general assholery is met with a punch to a face before she has time to consider her decisions. The fast-acting fight synapse also comes with enhanced speed and strength, so she’s gonna win most of her bouts. It also seems to come with a fair amount of confidence; Lindy almost never considers the opponent before she attacks as it never occurs to her to weigh the possibility she might lose.
The femme fatale genre is no stranger to film in this era; I imagine it goes hand-in-hand with #MeToo and thus we’ve seen films in recent years like Anna, Ava, Atomic Blonde, and Red Sparrow. The sociopathic hot woman trope is more common these days than the lone wolf action hero. The difference here is while Lindy has embraced her violence, she is desperately trying to deny it at the same time. Therapy hasn’t worked, nor have pills, nor straight discipline. Her “current” solution is being hooked up to something akin to a personal defibrillator to shock herself whenever the urge to beat somebody’s face in comes along.
She lives alone, hides from the public and still –literally- gives herself a Jolt dozens of times every day.
And the zaps work … to a point . That point being where professional killers ice her would-be boyfriend (Jai Courtney). I should remind readers that for all her quick temper and Buffy-like power, Lindy still is a human woman and not an especially large one at that. Guns will compensate a great deal for what strength lacks, and 
Lindy has targeted the mob.
I liked Jolt, for a while. As I said above, it’s the first time I’ve recognized Kate Beckinsale as something other than wallpaper. And I liked this character a great deal because I tend to have to rein in my own violent anti-rudeness instincts from time-to-time. Lindy gets to express a comeuppance for bad behavior that I may only enjoy vicariously. In my fantasy, she’s been unleashed at a Trump rally and goes to town on everybody saying something offensive. I’ll let you decide for yourself how many people you think that is.
Alas, Jolt did not remain my cola forever. The last ten minutes delved into a mysterious return to nauseating modern screenplay writing and a pair of resolutions I found most dissatisfying. I still liked Jolt enough to recommend it, but I could have come away from the film being happy for a week instead of ten minutes. And that is the tragedy of the road oft taken.
The once was a female aggressor
Who destroyed all who made her feel lesser
I’d say she needs chill
But I don’t think I will
Cuz I sure wouldn’t want to depress her
Rated R, 91 Minutes
Director: Tanya Wexler
Writer: Scott Eascha
Genre: Violent #MeToo
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Those with a healthy respect for revenge-first-question-later
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Misogynists
