Justice Served is the latest short film from hit-maker Patrick Rea. He single-handedly keeps Chiller TV alive with infinite reruns of his biggest feature, Nailbiter, while churning out little movies that always take the film festival circuit by storm. When I received my screener of his latest mini-movie, I wondered why he sent me a picture that looked like a Justice League fan-film on the outside. Super-hero flicks and dramas aren’t exactly within our medium here at HorrorSociety.com, but here’s the thing I love about Patrick Rea. He’s a chameleon. He has many sides and many colors, and he has a genius way of sparking his movies with original flair. While Justice Served is a crime-drama of sorts, it definitely lends itself to the realms of science fiction and horror. Picture a crossover between “Law & Order” and “The Twilight Zone,” if you will.
Justice Served is written, directed, edited and produced by Patrick Rea along with executive producer Elisa James and cinematographer Hanuman Brown-Eagle. Ms. James also stars in the short film, quite incredibly I might add, as a sultry and powerful attorney representing a client facing a journey of his peers in relation to the attempted vehicular manslaughter of a child. All is not what it seems, however, and the real reasons behind his supposed conviction will shock you. Davis DeRock, Jason Curtis Miller, Evince Brown, Bill Butts, Jennifer Seward, Tom Sutton and Jason Turner also star in this surprising title with more at stake than meets the eye. In a dark and dreary, yet almost comical way, Justice Served blurs the lines between good and evil, while providing a tounge-in-cheek look at our justice system. Who knew horror could do that?
I wish I could say more about the plot, but I really want to keep it under wraps so you can be as thrilled and shocked as I was. So, I’ll say this instead. As always, Patrick Rea has ensured that Justice Served is movie theater ready. It has the high caliber look of Hollywood while being built for a smaller audience. It’s hard to find independent horror films with quality that surpasses anything from Mr. Rea. This is one of the biggest reasons why he’s such a hit at the film festival circuit. This guy knows how to make movies. This guy knows how to put together a talented cast and a profession crew to get the job done. Justice Served is another shining example of his talents, as are previous shorts Howl of a Good Time, Hell Week, Pillow Fright and his current DVD release Enclosure (or Arbor Demon, depending where you are). And in this case, the talents of the cast – especially James & DeRock – match the high standard Rea is known for.
I will warn you that it takes a little while for Justice Served to get to the horror aspect. It reads like an episode of “Law & Order” up until the big reveal that is guaranteed to make you stop and say, “What?” It’s a slow burn, suspenseful type of horror that old school genre fans will adore. It’s not in your face and demanding, but it grabs your attention with its building intensity and “WTF?” value. In Justice Served, everyone is a ghoul at heart and you never know who’s winning the court room debate. It’s a stark and poignant gesture towards the real life horror of the judicial systems across America and it builds an alienating and interesting parallel universe that needs more attention in the future. Let me clarify that Justice Served isn’t so much a political piece as much as it’s a battle between the moral compass and society’s lack of having one. Or, Hell, maybe I missed the point of this one. Either way, it sure was fantastic! Final Score: 7.5 out of 10.
