Day Shift is a fun alternative to Blade for action and Snoop Dogg lovers
Miscellaneous / / August 12, 2022
The new action movie is reminiscent of the movie "Blade", only fun.
A tough guy who is great at fighting villains, but does not follow the rules, is given a “nerd” as a partner. The characters don't like each other at first, but they have to work together.
How many films from the 80s and 90s with a similar description come to mind? Not a lot. But in 2022, to see such an old-school and even flat plot is rather strange. However, streaming service Netflix and aspiring director J. J. Perry decided to please the audience with just such a naive action movie. And on August 12, Day Shift was released on the site - a fresh film that looks like a kind of hello to the classics.
The result is a bouncy but predictable movie with witty action.
'Day Shift' script is like a compilation of other films
Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx) is a vampire hunter. But for numerous violations of the code, he was expelled from the union, so he has to work alone. But Bud is more concerned about another problem - his ex-wife wants to move her daughter to another city, and the father will not be able to see the child. In order for relatives to stay in the old house, the hero urgently needs to earn a large sum. Therefore, he returns to the union. Meanwhile, the ghouls come up with something creepy that will allow them to seize power.
A lot of stories about vampire hunters and other evil spirits have been filmed. For example, IMDb for these keywords issuesSort by Popularity — Most Popular Movies and TV Shows tagged with keyword "vampire‑hunter" 91 feature films and 15 TV series.
Of course, the authors have already used literally all possible settings and character images, the creators of new works can only somehow compile them. But Day Shift doesn't even try to be original. There is not a single element in this tape that cannot be found in the famous horror or action movie.
In addition to the mentioned story of partners, here the most banal motivation for the character is problems with the family and love for her daughter. Villains are, of course, supervampires, who have more powers than ordinary evil spirits. And then there is the boss, who only thinks how to get rid of the main character. And the scene where Bud explains what kind of weapon to kill opponents.
Fans of such stories can play bingo. Or even arrange a competition: after the next stereotypical moment, you can pause and take turns naming the pictures in which there was something similar. That's just viewing then dragged on for five hours.
Especially often will be mentioned "Blade”, because there are even too many parallels. The only difference is that the authors have changed their tone a lot. "Day shift" is lighter (both in the picture and in the plot) and more fun.
The action in the film "Day Shift" is very peppy
Recently, about mediocre militants more and more often they joke that their plot was written by a neural network. This can hardly be said about the Day Shift - most likely, the program would have turned out more harmoniously and unusually. But if you look closely, you get the feeling that the structure of the tape was calculated mathematically.
The action traditionally begins with a kind of cold open - a peppy scene before the credits, which should interest the viewer. Then everything calms down for a long time - there are explanations and a dramatic part. But then the breaks until the next fight or chase are reduced exactly by half each time. The second fight will be in 40 minutes, then in 20 and in 10. And then - fun until the very end. But such a structure is not even very annoying (apart from the long wait for the second fight with the vampires). After all, the action is almost the only thing for which you can watch this picture.
It’s worth mentioning right away that here, as in old action movies, there is a problem with excessive flickering and graphics. But according to the classical tradition, the abilities of monsters and the skill of hunters are on the verge of fantasy. Vampires made not only amateurs to fight in hand-to-hand combat, but also gymnasts. Reminiscent of various horror stories, they walk on their hands, unnaturally arch their backs and brandish a knife held by their toes.
And the hunters kick them with boots with built-in blades, throw cartridges to each other, which the partner catches directly with a pistol, and even spit garlic gum in the face of the monsters. Often it looks comical, but it’s intended - after all, it’s not the time to seriously show sparring with evil spirits. In addition, one of the Day Shift stunt coordinators is Troy Robinson. He worked on the last few installments of Fast & Furious, a franchise built for fun. Yes, and J. J. Perry came into directing from a stunt background.
Pleased with both the main and secondary characters, especially Snoop Dogg
At least briefly it is worth saying about the excellent actors of the film.
So, Jamie Foxx continues to reveal different facets of his talent: once he received an Oscar for his role in the Ray film, then he played with Tarantino, voiced a cartoon Pixar. Now his hero is already an aging caring father and at the same time a tough killer. Perhaps Fox has already become the artist who is nice to see in any way.
Alas, Dave Franco as his partner just got lost - this is a purely comedic character who reacts funny to danger. And almost all the villains remain faceless and stereotypical. But many minor characters, even in the 5-10 minutes allotted to them, manage to please. Like, for example, the great Peter Stormare and Oliver Mazucci, whom everyone knows from "darkness».
But perhaps one of Day Shift's best finds is Snoop Dogg. He is, of course, a mediocre actor, but many stars will envy the rapper's charisma. Even without straining too much, he is remembered better than the others, and in the finale he gives out a great performance that will surely sell for memes.
Day Shift is sure to please anyone who is nostalgic for Blade and other simple vampire hunter movies. The plot does not offer anything new, but such a movie is watched more for action and funny scenes. And they are in abundance here.
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