Hammer Set To Strike Again
Though roundly panned when it first appeared three years ago, “The Hebrew Hammer,” writer-director Jonathan Kesselman’s Jewish answer to the blaxploitation genre, may be getting a new lease on life.
According to the Web site TMZ.com, Hollywood execs are drooling over the sequel rights to the film, in no small part because of an opening sequence recently tacked on to the screenplay in which the Hammer, played in the original by Adam Goldberg, shows a drunken Mel Gibson just who’s boss.
The script begins with a profanity-spewing Gibson being pulled over by the Hammer, who is dressed in a police uniform.
“Hey, copper, you a f—ing Jew?” Gibson asks.
The Hammer smiles and says: “Well, actually, yes. Yes, I am.” He then pulls out a .45 and blows the actor’s brains out.
Kesselman is hoping to get Gibson to play himself.
“I think if Mel wants to truly extend an olive branch to the Jewish community as a whole, his on-screen death would go a long way in accomplishing that goal,” he told TMZ.
But Mad Mel is small fry in comparison with Hammer’s new chief nemesis: a time-traveling Adolf Hitler hell bent on lousing up Jewish history.
Hello, fellow Forward reader! I’m Joel Brown, a Forward reader and supporter for more than 15 years, and currently the chair of the board of directors.
I’m an avid Forward reader because it ticks so many of my essential boxes: excellent journalism, Jewish focus and diverse viewpoints. In today’s political climate, what I most appreciate is the Forward’s independence — made possible by the generosity of its membership.
The Forward is committed to bringing you unbiased, nuanced Jewish news. From my position as board chair, I see an exciting future as we expand our position as the definitive independent voice of contemporary American Judaism.
— Joel Brown, Forward board chair
