Jamie Foxx strikes as a vampire hunter in Day Shift
Meagan Good (lr), Karla Souza, and Natasha Liu Bordizzo come to the world premiere of ”Day Shift” from the Netflix streaming service. photo
© Billy Bennight/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
His victims are hard to kill – no wonder, they’re vampires. In the new Netflix horror comedy “Day Shift”, Jamie Foxx, as a family man and vampire hunter, does not shy away from any bloody crime.
“Day Shift” begins harmlessly in the sunny San Fernando Valley in the suburbs of Los Angeles. There family man Bud (Jamie Foxx) earns his money as a pool cleaner. He fishes beer cans, dead raccoons and bikini tops out of the water, but that’s just a front. Guns, knives and machetes quickly get down to business. His first victim, an old woman in a suburban villa, can hardly be killed even with hard-nosed means. No wonder: Bud is hunting vampires.
In the end, the blood shoots out of the old bloodsucker lady’s torso, her head is on the side, Bud pulls out her canine teeth and is happy about his prey. “Money,” beams the vampire hunter. He can sell the teeth dearly. He urgently needs the extra income to pay his ex for the maintenance of their small daughter. The loving daddy doesn’t shy away from any bloody crime.
Oscar winner Foxx (54, “Ray”, “Just Mercy”) has never been seen in such a weird role. In the bloody horror comedy (from August 12 on the Netflix streaming service), Dave Franco (37, “The Disaster Artist”) plays the nerdy, anxious colleague who prefers to sit in the office of the “International Union of Vampire Hunters”, but now to the hunting use at Bud’s side is thundered.
Lots of fun shooting
The fact that Foxx and Franco had fun during the filming can be seen from the duo in the joint interview. “We could totally freak out and make things up,” says Franco. “We’re ripping off limbs, blood is splattering everywhere, but I like that it’s funny.” In addition, “Day Shift” delivers wild chases, explosions, lots of gunfights – “some of the best action scenes you’ve ever seen,” enthuses Foxx in the dpa interview.
There’s a good reason for that: longtime stuntman and stunt choreographer JJ Perry, who has worked on films such as Total Recall, Machete Kills and Gangster Squad, is making his directorial debut with the vampire comedy. Chad Stahelski, director of the “John Wick” action series, is on board as producer.
The Mexican actress Karla Souza (36, “How to Get Away with Murder”) plays a power-hungry real estate agent with a treacherous parasol that is supposed to protect the vampire from the light. The biting power woman has a loyal assistant named Klaus at her side, played by the German Oliver Masucci (53, “Dark”, “Schachnovelle”). US rapper Snoop Dogg, who is known not only for his music but also for his love of smoking weed, has a chance. He sides with the vampire hunters as Big John Elliott in a leather vest and cowboy hat.