Who Is Jillian Kesner?
I have enjoyed this Firecracker all three times that I have watched it. It is a cool martial arts flick that is unique. One odd thing though – who is Jillian Kesner? There seems to be no info on her at all. Her martial arts accomplishments for instance are nowhere to be found. From what I remember, she had an untimely death. That’s about all I could find. Her filmography included Happy Days which was interesting and something that I intend to dig up.
Firecracker Follows Standard Martial Arts Movie Plot
New to the martial arts movie world? Let me tell the story behind this one and every other one. Someone killed someone’s master, or their family and they are out for revenge. Normally some kind of tournament or gauntlet of some sort is involved to test their skills. Finally, they discover their master or family member’s killer and face them in life-or-death combat. The hero normally obtains a unique and needed skill along the way too. Of course, the hero and the villain are martial arts experts. Essentially, Firecracker is no different. Jillian Kesner’s character is out to find her sister who she discovers was killed by some drug traders. She then enters a tournament and finally faces and kills her sister’s killer.
Some Of What I Liked in Firecracker
A martial arts movie without action wouldn’t really be consistent with the genre. Firecracker has a lot of action, and it is consistently paced throughout the movie. Most of this movie’s action is consistent with Karate too which I like. There are very few crazy flips and wild action sequences as you see in Chinese Kung Fu films. In one scene, you see a wild flip that is clearly a camera trick. There’s also a scene that features a cobra snake which is comical in martial arts fashion. Normally in Firecracker, you’re going to see block counterattack like in hard-style martial arts. When you get into the tournament, you do see some different styles demonstrated but I’m unsure of the level of accuracy or which ones. Yes, as my title suggests, this happens in high heels. Wow! Now that you don’t see every day.
The unique skill in this movie is not the 5-finger death palm like Pai Mei taught in how every many films someone portraying Pai Mei has taught some similar technique. No, it was the Escrima sticks which are native to the Pilipino martial arts. Of course, they teach the technique in a Shaolin temple setting which I don’t imagine is accurate. Anyway, Jillian Kesner uses this skill in the tournament which involves weapons. Apparently, the Escrima sticks catch the competition off guard. Firecracker was filmed in the Philippines too, so the sticks are a cool addition. Often, the tournament is the highlight of one of these films. All of Firecracker is good but the tournament certainly is a fun part to watch.
Closing Out On This Cult Classic
The third time was not a charm for me with Firecracker. The first time was. I watched it three times because I enjoyed it that much. In fact, it’s on my routine rewatch list. I really enjoyed this movie. Martial arts movie fans must see this one for some karate kicking and hair flipping. I don’t recall any other martial arts movies with a lead female role either. This one was from 1981 too. I certainly don’t recall any female martial arts moves from the 80s. Check this one out.
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Got a martial arts movie you want to recommend for a blog? Leave your thoughts or suggestions in the comments. What are your thoughts on Firecracker? Does anyone know anything about Jillian Kesner? What did she study? Under who? What rank was she? Let me know something in the comments. You can read more reviews on this movie here. Also, please like this blog.