A clearly schizoid derelict, Robert (William Bumiller), whose spurtive twitches and iterances of the word "yup" have earned him the name of YUP YUP MAN (the film's original title, renamed DARK JUSTICE for its DVD release), has long since tucked away his hold upon reality, a result of having been present, as a young boy, when his father was brutally murdered. He has contracted an obsession for a comic book hero, Dark Justice, whose penchant for vigilante activity against The Forces of Evil has fostered a muddled desire within Robert to compensate for his father's slaying through vigorous attacks upon vicious street thugs. Nightly news telecasts describing savage assaults upon hapless victims have ignited Robert's instinct to become a "caped crusader", initially encouraged by Jack (David Bowe), a friendly bartender and owner of a tavern that the Yup Yup Man frequents, but after Robert's criminal targets are being despatched rather than merely captured, Jack becomes aware those victims rescued by the social misfit's sallies are perhaps only a segment of his delusionally tinged aggression, with his feats causing him to be labelled by the broadcast media as a "serial killer". During this same period, a romantic relationship with a young, otherwise apparently sane, woman, Jillian (Jocelyn Seagrave) has modified Robert's existence, her feelings for him stemming originally from compassion, but then growing to a level where he has become physically beguiling to her. As his fancies ease, Robert's behaviour turns increasingly lucid as it would if repression, born from grief, is lessened, thereby resulting in greater psychologic stability. Accordingly, he believes that he is becoming "normal", although his mounting string of killings plainly is not acceptable to local law enforcement officialdom or to a conflicted Jack, the latter evidently holding feelings of guilt as a result of his initiatory backing of the Yup Yup Man's vengeful acts. Director Glenn Klinker brings a palpable background in film production to this affair but it, his first effort at the helm of a feature film, is perforated with continuity problems throughout the storyline. We see Robert early in the film as a young lad witnessing his father's senseless death, but subsequently we can only presume that his life went to the dogs, as we are not advised of what actually occurred within the breach of years that impelled him to become a trash collecting vagrant, a person with patent delusions who has become a bedevilled, twitching, and babbling eccentric. Here is where conceptualization from Klinker will fall short of viewer satisfaction because of his lack of a firm point of view, as moral conflicts raised by inveterate wretch Robert's impassioned although felonious actions pointed against noxious criminals require a greater degree of development than they are given within the scenario, perhaps exemplified most often through flaws in logic, such as those that depict the ease with which plot principals are able to locate addresses of friends and enemies. The production is smoothly accomplished in spite of a manifestly wee budget, with the casting director casting herself in two significant roles, while even Klinker fills a small part. There is included in the film the mentioned romantic love element that is peculiar at best, along with misguided, tasteless, and only upon occasion plot-related attempts at humour, along with a surfeit of witless violence spread throughout the work, culminating at its climax in silly fashion. Nonetheless, the director's sure hand is evident behind several positive aspects of the piece. These include effectual editing (editor: Eric Chase) that includes a pinch of montage, and top-notch camera-work (cinematographer: Yoram Astrakhan) that contribute nicely to an interesting film shot in southern California coastal communities. Although the plot line's lack of a rationale needed to create in a viewer a sense of compelling warmth for the protagonist is plainly evident, Bumiller's performance is certainly a bravura one. It is obvious that he prepared well for what is an unusually demanding characterization, in particular during the work's first half where it must be seen to be believed. Other players on board here for the most part are a capable bunch, and skillfully project their engagement for the story.
