DISCLAIMER: Day Shift is far less ambitious than some of Netflix’s other, bigger-budget would-be franchise starters. Here’s the thing – if they’ve released anything this year that legitimately feels like it has a chance to be a franchise, this is it. While nothing you haven’t seen before, it’s a medium-scale vampire-hunting action comedy, a genre well-loved by horror fans. I expect this to increase viewership for Netflix, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Jamie Foxx’s Bud Jablonski turns into a recurring character every few years for the streamer. Indeed, Day Shift is fun, even if it feels less worthy of the big screen than some of Netflix’s other, more expensive titles. Directed by JJ Perry, who has been working as a stunt coordinator for years, Day Shift is another 87North production. This company is run by David Leitch and Kelly McCormick, who are becoming the best action designers in Tinseltown, recently making Nobody and Bullet Train. While Jamie Foxx is a more familiar figure in the action genre than Bob Odenkirk, it’s nice to see him transform into a vampire-hunting version of John Wick, albeit a bluer one. He’s a blue-collar worker trying to make enough money to keep his ex (Meagan Good) from moving to Florida with their daughter. She’s convinced he’s a philanthropist thanks to his all-nighters, but really, he’s just killing vampires and trying to provide, and Fox is likable as always. He is ably supported by a game cast led by Dave Franco as the nerdy union rep sent to witness his assassination. I loved that Franco, while uptight, is made to be sympathetic from the get-go, and a clever twist in the third act gives him a lot more physical action to do, along with a scene-stealing Natasha Liu Bordizzo as the mysterious Foxx’s new neighbor. 87 North has a knack for whipping up unlikely action heroes, and he does so not only with Franco and Bordiso but with perhaps the most unlikely action hero of all – Snoop Dogg. In it, Snoop plays a legendary vampire hunter/urban cowboy named Big John, who shows up time and time again to save the day. The rapper looks like he’s legitimately having the time of his life in an action role, and like Christopher Lloyd in Nobody, he looks like he’s relishing the chance to do something no one ever expected him to do. In the meantime. Perry brings two ringers for a terrific action set-piece in the middle – a big Steve Howey (from Shameless) and the great Scott Adkins. The two play vampire-hunting brothers who take down a nest with Foxx, and this action set piece is bug nuts. While Netflix wants to remake The Gray Man, it might be better to give these two a medium-scale action movie. Adkins has been waiting for the day Hollywood would let him show his mettle, and while he only gets a set piece here, he’s clearly being directed by someone who knows what he’s capable of. If there’s one thing missing from Day Shift, it’s that the villain, Karla Souza’s Audrey San Fernando, doesn’t have enough to do. Souza’s nice, low-key vibe sets her apart a bit, but we don’t delve into her mythology enough to make her a terrifying villain. You know it’s not a good fit for Foxx and Franco from the start, a common problem in action movies like this. Foxx needed a bigger villain to take on, and Souza, while good, isn’t given enough meat to sink her fangs into (pun intended). While it’s by no means a blockbuster action movie, Day Shift is still a fun Netflix opener that will please action fans and garner millions of hours of viewing. I think this might be the movie that becomes their franchise mainly because it’s not too long. It’s the perfect scale for a Netflix movie, and while it might not work if it was theatrical, this stream is a great fit. 7
