The justice in John Charles Hunt’s New Jersey comes in the form of a psyched-out soccer mom with a shotgun. The character’s name is Polly, and she wants to crack some heads. That is the B-movie world of Jersey Justice, a revenge thriller shot in and around Bucks County. It is the first stab at filmmaking for a Buckingham resident whose day job is delivering packages for Federal Express. Last month, Hunt, 49, got the chance to sit in a local theater and hear the applause for his movie as the credits started to roll. “It’s heaven sitting there, hearing the laughs when you want them, or the gasps when someone gets shot,” Hunt said. “You know you’ve achieved what you wanted.” Family, friends and cast members had crowded into the County Theater in Doylestown for the movie’s debut screening. The making of the tongue-in-cheek film is what Hunt calls a “reawakening” at mid-life. “Some guys buy sports cars,” Hunt said. “I decided to make a movie.” The first-time director managed to snag Emmy Award winner Blanche Baker, 1970s Walking Tall icon Bo Svenson, and local actor Christopher Mann (The Wire). Baker plays Polly O’Bannon, the mother of a young man who is kidnapped and murdered in Iraq. Months later, her husband is killed in a Philadelphia shooting, and Polly O’Bannon sets out for revenge. Hunt was inspired to start the project after a family tragedy. Hunt’s nephew and godson, Derick Hunt, committed suicide. Stuck in the airport while traveling back from the funeral, family members began bickering and arguing. Hunt tried to cope with his feelings by writing about the incident, but he couldn’t. He switched gears, and Jersey Justice is the result. Parts of the plot were inspired by the hostage-taking and death in Iraq of Nick Berg, a contractor from West Chester. Filmmaking was something Hunt had long wanted to do, but wasn’t sure how. He had grown up in Old Bridge, N.J., and was fascinated by movies. As a little boy in the theaters, Hunt said, “I would turn around and look at the flicker coming from the projector, and I would say, ‘It’s coming out of there?’ ” He went on to serve in the Army. He tried getting into New York University, the alma mater of a film hero, Martin Scorsese. When that didn’t happen, Hunt went to work. “I was so caught up in trying to achieve the American dream – a house, a car, a job,” Hunt said. He put aside his hopes to make movies and satisfied the urge by doing bit parts in films shot locally. Kathlyn Hunt encouraged her husband to go further. John Charles Hunt began talking with members of the local film community, and eventually decided he could pull it off. “I didn’t see this as his mid-life crisis, but as John becoming self-aware,” Kathlyn Hunt said. “This was something that gave him joy.” The couple scrounged together the film’s budget with help from family and friends, their credit cards, and a loan. Nabbing Baker was easier than expected. She had taken off for more than a decade to raise a family, and was looking to get back into the business. “I was just thrilled to have the work at first, but then it became a wonderful experience,” Baker said. “John is like a savant when it comes to films.” Shooting started in October 2005. Hunt felt his way through. He was open to the suggestions of experienced members of the cast and crew, Mann said. Hunt said he often relied on them. Independent films “are a crapshoot,” Mann said. “Sometimes the budget isn’t there, and they try anyway, and things can fall apart.” Hunt kept his production together, even on days when he had to leave the set to deliver packages. He came close to quitting only once. That was the day he was shooting at the Shore and left the camera batteries at home, four hours away. Kathlyn drove home to get them. The film was edited by Christopher Tully, a multimedia teacher at Middle Bucks Institute of Technology in Jamison, who also has his own company, Tulstar Productions. Jersey Justice was Tully’s first experience editing a movie. So far, the movie has had packed showings in Doylestown, Asbury Park, N.J., and East Greenville. Another showing is scheduled for the Puck music club in Doylestown on Aug. 5. The Hunts are shopping the movie to film festivals and planning their next film.
“This project is a dream project for a lot of people,” Hunt said. “Actors are getting other roles and [Screen Actors Guild] cards because of it. The joy is in the connection and knowing that people are going to do better.”