Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word (2016)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

That was an excellent one.

Simply A Masterpiece

One of my all time favorites.

The film is based on the true story of Johnny Frank Garrett (Devin Bonnée) who was convicted of the murder and rape of a 76 year old nun Sister Tadea Benz (Rebekah Turner). Garrett maintained he was innocent up to his death and cursed those who convicted him. After the state of Texas executed this mentally handicapped man, the people connected to his conviction began to die. The story follows one of the jurors, Adam Redman (Mike Doyle) who has figured out what is going on and works to clear Johnny's name.The film is an extension of research done in the case. It speculates Garrett was innocent and how an innocent man could get convicted in the fine criminal justice system in the state of Texas. My guess, the super natural aspect was an add on.At the end of the film is a list of people who died connected to the conviction...reminding me of that JFK assassination list. They also play a tape of his last words. Acting wasn't that great. Too much truth in the story to make a decent horror. Adapted from the documentary "The Last Word." Guide: Got one tapering phrase that could have a WTF. No sex or nudity.

Johnny Frank Garret raped and killed a nun and is put to death for his heinous crime then returns to exact revenge upon those responsible and their families.Hardly an original concept, in fact we've pretty much seen the same thing several times over and done considerably better.So what makes this stand out? Decent performances but lesser known actors, and that deep south old time religion vibe which is scary in itself.I couldn't decide if this film had anti or pro religious messages but regardless was certainly a prominent theme.Johnny Frank Garrett looks a lot like Charles Manson. You know Charles Manson? That guy everyone refers to as one of the worlds most famous serial killers even though he didn't actually kill a single person. Seriously, look it up. We live in a glorious age where information is readily available at our fingertips yet people still think that Manson was a killer, that the earth is flat and that pineapple isn't allowed on pizza! The biggest flaw of JFGLW is that its all so confusing, as with many movies of this genre the "Being(s)" don't follow any natural rules so it all gets a bit weird as the creators as making stuff up as they go along. Like Doctor Who when he and he comrades were in space aboard a ship and there was a bad guy in with them so they shot the windscreen out and he got sucked out into deepspace. Did nobody writing that see a problem there? Unoriginal concept, sketchy creation, pretty poor but saved due to a decent cast.

This movie had it tough from the start. For those who have seen "Red White and Blue": well they had high expectations. Or different kind of expectations. This movie does not meet them. It is very weird and tough to describe. You have Sean Patrick Flannery in it and he's almost not recognizable through all the make-up he's wearing (face blown up sort of, as in prosthetic).But he's not the main character in this strange mix of horror, drama and fantasy. There are some very well shot, but very unnerving scenes, that you'll either like for being different or hate for that exact fact. I don't recommend watching a trailer often, but in this case it does make sense to get a feeling and will help you either save time or watch something you otherwise would have missed

I have found out much about this film and its backstory simply by reading a few other reviews. I want to thank these reviewers for pointing out what I would have never known.Firstly, I did not know this film was based on actual events. I believe the murder took place in 1981. The bare-bones facts were also pretty much in tact: the murderer raped and then stabbed a nun to death. Johnny Garrett was only 17 at the time of this murder, which I don't think makes any difference in Texas. He was convicted and sentenced to death. Here is where things got just a little too squirrelly for me.It seems there was one juror who did not think the man was guilty. Instead of holding out for a "hung jury," he decides to cast the dye and sentence Johnny to death. Why? Was it because he was just worn down by the other 11 jurors? The entire trial process seemed "rushed." I never heard one single objection from the defendant's attorney.Flash forward 10 years. While Johnny is awaiting his execution by lethal injection, he pens a cursed letter letting everyone know he will "come back to haunt them, their families, and their families' families." I believe he was just a little ticked! And, as promised, after his death, certain people begin to die.I thought the director and writer completely missed their marks here. What was supposed to be a tale of vengeance, turns into a big mixed bag of nothing and left me asking lots of questions, i.e. if Johnny was after vengeance, why wasn't the crooked district attorney the first person he went after? Confusion reigned. Rated "R" for language and violence. Not that bad, but not good enough to recommend.