Day Shift

2022   Netflix

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  53min

Action ~ Comedy ~ Horror ~ Thriller

Directed by: J. J. Perry

Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Meagan Good, Karla Souza, Steve Howey, and Scott Adkins.

“That’s what I love about L.A……all the damn vampires.”

Jamie Foxx stars as Bud Jablonski, a former paratrooper now earning a living cleaning pools in Los Angeles. He is divorced and has a young daughter who lives with his ex-wife Jocelyn (Meagan Good). Bud is struggling to make ends meet and support his ex and his daughter. Jocelyn has just informed him that unless he comes up with the ten thousand dollars she needs in the next week, she is selling the house and moving to Florida with his daughter. Bud, not happy with the news, tells her that he will do whatever he needs to do in the next week to make that happen.

Bud is also a Vampire Hunter, using the pool cleaning job as a cover for his real source of income, hunting and killing vampires. He extracts the fangs from his victims and exchanges them for cold hard cash. Unfortunately, since he’s been kicked out of The Vampire Hunters Union, he has to rely on a black market pawn shop owner to sell the fangs to. There is a lot less money to be had compared to what he used to get being in the union and getting union prices. Union wages for the fangs are the only way he can come up with the ten thousand in a week he needs to keep his ex from taking away his daughter.

He reaches out to his mentor Big John Elliot (Snoop Dogg), his former colleague in the military and fellow Vampire Hunter, to convince him to help get him back in the Vampire Hunters Union. Big John agrees to put in a good word for him under the condition he swears he will play by the rules and not jeopardize being in the Union. Bud agrees and Big John meets him in front of The Chinese Laundry that is a front for the union. Reluctantly, the union boss allows Bud back on a trial basis. But he must be accompanied by Union Steward Seth (Dave Franco), who will accompany him at all times to make sure he doesn’t break protocol.

Bud and Seth set out to hunt not realizing that Bud has killed the daughter of the very influential vampire Aubrey San Fernando (Karla Souza) and she is hunting him down. As Bud is stalking vampires, Aubrey is stalking Bud, his family and anyone associated with Bud. The ensuing hunts are a thrilling journey through Los Angeles and the vampire underworld, where we learn many things about the modern vampire. Such as the new suncream that allows them to exist in the daylight. And that there is a hierarchy in the vampire world with different castes and classes of vampires.

It is a funny, horrifying, action packed thriller with a different take on the classic Vampire horror movie. Jamie Foxx does a great job as Bud. Snoop Dogg is as big a legend on screen as Big John as he is off screen as Snoop Dogg. Gotta love him. Dave Franco is great as the nerdy office Union guy forced into the killing field with Bud. I thought he reminded me of someone and it turns out he is James Franco’s brother. I am not familiar with Dave’s work but I liked him in this. Karla Souza is wickedly good as the very powerful vampire with a grudge.

There is talk of a sequel with the title Night Shift. Jamie Foxx is interested in reprising his role as Bud and the director is reportedly waiting on the writer to be finished with another project so they can begin the process of writing the script. I’m up for that, let’s go!

That’s a yes for me Dogg (Pun Intended)!

Two Thumbs Up!