Written by: Ryan Daily
The nostalgia runs deep throughout this film. Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn’t Die takes every trope from the Grindhouse and exploitation films of the 1970’s and presents them in a very well done, $35,000 love letter. James Dean presents the tale of Mary, the titular vengeful nun, as she fights to make her sister’s killer pay for her overdose. Mary slices, dices and Kung-Fu chops her way through random thugs, the evil church and Nazi’s on her path to bring her sister’s killer to her brand of justice.
Mallory Stern as Mary channels the spirit of all the Grindhouse greats with her serious delivery of sometimes over the top dialog. Brain Davis reminds the audience of a cross between Morpheus from The Matrix and Jimmy Wang Yu. Ron Clower plays Mary’s friend and fellow student with great fervor. He almost reaches Chris Tucker levels of sidekick greatness.
The story is nothing new to fans of the genre, but this film is totally worth the view.
The film quality and the way the film is shot could be a turn off to some, but it closely follows the methods of film making of the 1970’s. It is not polished and crisp, nor should it be. James Dean gives the audience a gory tale of corruption and vengeance that keeps you glued to your seat for the one hour and twenty-five minutes of run time.
The film can bring up feelings of nostalgia in a wide range of age groups. It can appeal to the slightly younger audiences that are more familiar with the resurgence of Grindhouse back in 2007 when Planet Terror and Death Proof brought the genre back into the public eye.
On the flip side of that coin, this movie also will take those of us that remember the motion pictures of Pam Grier and Dyanne Thorne.
Fountaine and the Vengeful Nun Who Wouldn’t Die is available on Tubi for free and and once you give this slow burn film a chance, you will be clamoring for the sequel teased at the end of the movie. If James Dean and his crew deliver the way they did here, we as an audience are in for one wild ride.