'Day Shift' Review: Jamie Foxx, Fangs & Flair Not Enough To Elevate This Average Flick

Fans who have seen the official trailer for J. J. Perry's vampire flick should know that there isn't much to look forward to beyond the scenes glimpsed there.

Day Shift wastes no time diving into what action fans love to see; spectacular fight sequences with fanged foes, with Jamie Foxx kicking ass and looking good.

But halfway through, the mediocre plot begins to drag the film into nonsensical territory and things culminate in a third act that is both cliche and predictably boring.

Netflix seems to be the go-to place for pretty much every kind of movie these days; the good, the bad, and the cringy. Day Shift finds itself in between the first two categories.

Foxx stars as Bud Jablonski, an excommunicated vampire slayer who has a few days to get a big score in his hunting gig or lose his family.

The protagonist's quest pits him against a formidable vampire leader who seeks revenge after her kin is murdered.

To make matters worse, Bud is paired with a nerdy partner (played by Dave Franco) whose very presence irks him and seems to get in the way of things running smoothly.

Bud's family is drawn into the fight for survival and he must rally every trick and skill he has acquired to save himself and his family from the bloodthirsty creatures.

It was interesting to see that some of the old vampire rules are bent here (they have apparently found a way to walk in daylight and have different species or kinds).

What I could not wrap my head around however was how vampires became contortionists and stuntmen.

Another thing here is that apart from a few exceptions, their strength is basically the same as humans (Foxx's character overpowered many of them in fight sequences).

While I'm not against an ambitious storyline, I believe the filmmakers should follow through and make their changes believable and within the boundaries of reason.

As I remarked earlier, the plot of Day Shift sucks big time, especially after the halfway mark. Everything that happens from then on is something that we have seen before in other action films.

Foxx is compelling to watch and the gunslinging, no-nonsense guy and throwing rapper and actor Snoop Dogg in the mix makes things more fun to watch.

Despite the presence of the aforementioned duo, the plot holes in Day Shift only get bigger, culminating in a conclusion that is as lazy as it is downright stupid.

I'm a sucker for vampire films (pun intended!) so forgive me if I sound a tad bit harsh in my review because I feel as a director, you ought to pull off some really impressive tricks when you decide to make this kind of film.

But Day Shift also has its fair dose of the good stuff.

The music is perfect, the action is pretty cool and well choreographed (with the exception of some wire-y stuff here and there), and the dark humour is apt for the consistent but understandable tonal shift.

The makeup for the vampires is convincing, with the special effects not below par. These all come in handy to distract the viewer from the film's shortcomings.

Additionally, the camera work is also aesthetically pleasing as the fight sequences and effects are captured in the right manner.

As for the villain, I would say she was shown to be this badass character whose powers the protagonist couldn't hope to match. Unfortunately, she is reduced to a brainless asshole who just mumbles her way to her own comeuppance.

My conclusion: Day Shift will be enjoyed by action lovers who make the decision to turn off the reasoning side of their mental faculties to just enjoy the fun. Nitpicky ones will have a field day spotting the movie's faults.

Rating: 5.8/10.