DAY SHIFT

The vampire flick connects all the dots required for a formulaic action movie. Luckily the cast, especially Dave Franco, regularly rises above the uninspired material.

There is nothing inherently wrong with Day Shift. The problem is that there isn't that much right with it either.

The vampire flick connects all the dots required for a formulaic action movie, from the witty banter of the oddball central pairing to the family values theme and a nineties soundtrack full of predictable hits. The action sequences are well-staged but they go on endlessly, beginning with an opening scene that exhausts you before the film has properly started.

Luckily the cast regularly rises above the uninspired material. Jamie Foxx makes for a likeable lead and Snoop Dogg is used well in a glorified cameo, but it's Dave Franco who steals the show as a pencil-pushing sidekick. Every scene he is in immediately adds a giddy energy to the proceedings, which often is needed to keep you from dozing off during Day Shift.

By the time the final act arrives you have however given up hope that the movie goes out with a genuine bang. Unfortunately, that is indeed the case.

release: 2022

director: J.J. Perry

starring: Jamie Foxx, Maegan Good, Dave Franco, Snoop Dogg