Day Shift is now streaming on Netflix.
Day Shift is a ruthless, bloodthirsty romp through all the traditional vampire cliches. Garlic? Check. Aversion to sunlight? Check. But with a sun-drenched twist on the formula, director J.J. Perry takes a well-worn genre and dials it up to eleven.
Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx) is no ordinary pool boy. Plumbing the depths of Los Angeles, Jablonski has a secret – he’s actually a vampire hunter. It turns out that the City of Angels is filled with vile, sinister bloodsuckers… and that’s just the realtors.On top of that, there are plenty of vampires, too.
Jablonski’s no ordinary vampire hunter, either. Kicked out of the union for a long list of code violations, he’s down on his luck and then some. He’s forced to turn to back-alley merchants to shift his trophies – fangs collected from the vampires he’s slain. And it’s not long before he ruffles some feathers.
It’s more From Dusk Till Dawn than Interview with the Vampire, and Day Shift knows it, playing up every over-the-top fight scene with gory extravagance. Perry’s background as a stunt coordinator is felt throughout as Day Shift offers up some of the most intense vampire fights you’ll see on screen. Jablonski is a bona fide badass and smarter than he seems, and Foxx plays it perfectly, walking the line between wise-cracking smartass and genuinely ingenious vampire hunter. His homemade gadgets may be low-tech, but they certainly get the job done. Garlic grenades soften up his vampiric targets before a barrage of gunshots, laced with mpingo wood, act like a stake through the heart.
These little touches elevate Day Shift from a rote vampire action flick to something more. There’s clearly been a lot of thought put into the action here, and Perry should be proud of how he’s taken an age-old genre and revitalized it with simple twists on classic tropes.Equally, Foxx brings his A-game as Jablonski, giving a whole new meaning to “work/life balance.”
A blue-collar working dad, Jablonski struggles to keep his identity secret from his ex-wife (Meagan Good) and daughter (Zion Broadnax). The inherent conflict between his home and work life adds another layer to Day Shift, elevating it from a trashy, vampire-slaughtering popcorn flick to one with far more heart than you first realize. There’s certainly a lot more to unpack than it first seems.
Day Shift has a lot to say, too, about the socio-economic landscape of modern L.A. There’s a clear dichotomy between the working-class Black vampire hunter and his white supervisors at the union. They may have a dental plan and expensive suits, but Bud’s got it where it counts – experience and sheer bloody-mindedness.
And when he’s paired up with desk jockey Seth (Dave Franco), the differences become even clearer.Franco hams it up as the feeble, constantly terrified Seth, who’s more of a hindrance than any kind of help. But the chemistry between the pair is genuinely brilliant as Bud takes the role of a reluctant mentor to a union rep who’s supposed to be reporting back on his every move. Soon enough, Day Shift turns into a vampire buddy cop movie with Franco and Foxx becoming the vampire-slaughtering odd couple we never knew we wanted. Throw in Snoop Dogg as the legendary vampire hunter Big J and things soon get even wilder.
Both Foxx and Snoop Dogg get some great one-liners, with other memorable moments going to Franco’s cringe-inducing Seth. The laughs are big, but the action scenes are even bigger. Perry’s mastery of the film’s many action sequences offers up some truly unique moments. Scott Adkins and Steve Howey star as the vampire-hunting Nazarian twins who are so close you can almost believe the bullet-time slow-mo which sees one brother fling a single bullet across the room into the chamber of the other brother’s pistol. It’s ridiculous. Completely and utterly ridiculous. And it’s an absolute treat to watch.
That’s the good thing about Day Shift – it’s a film that knows exactly what it is. Sure, it’s no Oscar winner, but with a fun take on an interesting (if straightforward) storyline, you’ll find the film has a lot to offer,especially if you love a good ol’ fashion popcorn flick.
Day Shift certainly brings something unique to the table. It’s not quite a straight-up vampire movie, with a lot more going on beneath the bloody, vampire-busting façade. Foxx, Franco, and Snoop Dogg tear down the walls, laying bare a dark, cruel Los Angeles that puts a twisted spin on real-life SoCal sensibilities. Sure, the story is a bit light and straightforward, but that just doesn’t matter – Day Shift makes up for it with some impeccable fight scenes and incredibly likeable heroes. Jablonski may not be the best pool boy in the world, but he’s a decent vampire hunter and an even better dad. You’ll be rooting for him every step of the way. Day Shift is big, loud, brash, and exactly what it should be – a riotously fun romp through the streets of L.A. with some violent, gory vampire action thrown in.
from IGN Reviews https://ift.tt/Wga9F4x
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