Day Shift

Day Shift should be a fun and enthralling movie. 

Set in a world where vampires exist, Bud Jablonski (Jamie Foxx) uses a dull pool-cleaning job as a front so that he can hunt and viciously decapitate the undead. Ripping out their fangs pays big money. Unfortunately for Bud, he’s been kicked out of the union, so he’s being severely underpaid by buyers. 

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When he learns that his ex-wife Jocelyn (Meagan Good) plans to move their daughter Paige (Zion Broadnax) to Florida, Bud’s friend Big John (Snoop Dogg) helps him get back into the union so that he can earn money fast. There’s just one catch: Bud has to be joined on his vampire murder spree by office worker Seth (Dave Franco), who has been ordered to report back with all of his violations. 

Day Shift actually begins impressively. Cinematographer Toby Oliver shoots Los Angeles with a beautiful sheen, while the opening fight scene between Foxx and a shockingly spry 90-year-old vampire is brutal, gory, and surprising.

Once that sequence ends, though, Day Shift quickly becomes atrocious. First-time director J.J. Perry is more interested in making sure it looks good than delivering coherent action or letting us connect with the characters. 

What’s even worse is that Tyler Tice and Shay Hatten’s script goes from formulaic to incomprehensible, all while being painfully unfunny. 

Ultimately, Day Shift feels like it has more in common with a video game than a movie. In a year of Netflix delivering flop after flop, Day Shift might just be the worst of the lot. R, 113 min.

Netflix

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