genre: action, comedy, fantasy
Day Shift is not exactly what I thought it was going to be. However, it was fun and entertaining. And these days that does count for something.
So before I start talking about the good, I need to mention the bad. For whatever reason, the focus seemed to be on comedy. Especially between badass vampire hunter Bud Jablonski, played by Jamie Foxx, and timid by the numbers Seth, played by Dave Franco. Yes, in essence, this is a buddy film. And that would have been awesome if Fox and Franco actually had some chemistry. Unfortunately, most of their dynamics feels forced. It could have worked if the jokes were actually funny. Sure, I laughed more than I didn't, but at a certain point I did get annoyed with Franco's character whining all the time. I would not have had a problem if he had been on Bud's ass all the time, slamming him with rules and regulations. I mean, he was there to keep Bud proper and actually is a great premise for comedic antics if Bud wouldn't be able to do the job because of the strict rules. And it actually would have been amazing if Seth realized that there is no such thing as black and white. I would have loved to watch him slowly turn into the cynical but though as nails vampire slayer without the forced plot element. I won't spoil, but it's too damn convenient and kind of broke the immersion for me.
At first, I liked the inclusion of Snoop Dogg. But honestly, I don't think he really fit in this film. Let's face it, he is a bad actor. Sure, he can provide laughs and have some merit in the right film. Except not in this one. He is just Snoop pretending to be someone he is not. You can't detach the Snoop persona from whomever he was supposed to be playing. I can't even be bothered to look it up. It really doesn't matter. I wished they would have let him done things you wouldn't expect him to do. Once he appears in the film, you know what he is going to be about.
I could complain about the lack of real story and even less character development. But it was enough to keep events going, and for an action flick that sometimes is all you need. No, the real issue I have is with the pacing. Some scenes are too dragged out or simply go nowhere. There is absolute no need for this story to be around 1 hour and 50 minutes. Had they cut twenty or twenty-five minutes off, this film would have been stellar. The long duration exposes a lot of flaws which could have been easily avoided.
Still. There are some highlights in the film you simply can't pass up. The action sequences. There are two big ones that stand out. It's the opening sequence and the one in the middle where another cool cat makes his entrance. Or actually two. They are called the Nazarian Brothers. I honestly had no knowledge of this incredible martial artist being in the film. But he surely elevated that action sequence to orgasmic levels. My girl, Mrs. P, who is not familiar with him and his work, absolutely didn't understand my excitement for his appearance (even when short) in the film. But people who are fans of his work will understand. Then the vampires. Brilliant move to have them play by members of Cirque du Soleil. You certainly haven't seen vampires move like they did. And it actually adds tension and thrills to the action.
Another highlight is Jamie Foxx. Most of us know he is a good actor. And he sure has tried to make a couple of action flicks. But he is at his best in this one. You actually believe him to be this hard-boiled vampire hunter who is trying to make a decent living. He doesn't really want to, but he needs to in order to keep close to his daughter and ex-wife.
Overall, Day Shift delivers good action, but suffers hugely because of the bad pacing and lack of real jokes. Compared to The Gray Man, though, this is a freaking masterpiece.
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