Third Society. USA 2001. Directed by J.A. Steel

When you are writing a critique of any piece of art, you should pay attention to objectivity. This time I pay attention to story of hard working woman making her dream come true, which is full-length action movie. After reading all of those phases and difficulties that can happen during a low-budget film making, I began to doubt my right to review movies at all.

Director J.A. Steel offered her script to many producers but after they told they would change its ethic background dramatically, she decided to make the film by herself. Steel a.k.a. Jacquelyn Ruffner directed, wrote, produced, edited, acted the lead role and paid the most of the Third Society's budget. And we are not talking about some "film" that has been shot with digital video camera - this is a 35mm full-length film.

25 years ago the drug lord Dragon murdered a woman in front of her daughters. These children were placed in witness protection program and after many years, other one is working for L.A.P.D. Now she has again tough one to deal with, when Dragon kidnaps her sister.

Third Society is a movie, which is hard to follow with all the action and many persons involved. It seems that storytelling has suffered from all the changes that had to be done. Of course the editing could have been better, since some scenes don't have a decent rhythm in it. Still, beneath the confusing elements there are some really good aspects - like the way the film looks. For instance, the chase in the airport has some cool style in it.

You can find interestingly clear mistakes in Third Society, but also a clear vision - and that is something that is usually missing in these kind of low-budget action flicks. In some way some scenes (and maybe a little bit of revenge-oriented plot) remind me of Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino. It's easy understand why - both films have their origins and influences in 70's b-movies and asian action films.

J.A. Steel is nevertheless unflinching movie maker, who should have bigger budgets for making her visions come true in the big screen. Third Society isn't quite that what she meanted to, but we are waiting eagerly the next effort from Warrior Entertainment.