John Henry (2020 film)

Last updated
John Henry
JohnHenryPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWill Forbes
Written by
  • Doug Skinner
  • Will Forbes
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyIsiah Donte Lee
Edited byJoe Rosenbloom
Music by
  • Will Forbes
  • DJ Quik
Production
companies
  • Defiant Studios
  • Automatik
Distributed by Saban Films
Release date
  • January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24)(United States)
Running time
91 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

John Henry is a 2020 American thriller drama film starring Terry Crews and Ludacris, and directed by Will Forbes. Inspired by the folk lore of John Henry, the plot follows an ex-gang member from Los Angeles who must help two immigrant children who are on the run from his former crime boss. The film had a limited release on January 24, 2020, and received negative reviews from critics with a 0% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Contents

Plot

Berta, a Honduran refugee, is about to be raped by the Los Angeles street gang that kidnapped her. Her brother Oscar and half-brother Emilio assault the house where she is being kept and free her, but Oscar is shot before they can escape. Emilio, who believes Oscar to be dead, forces Berta to leave with him, then delays the police as she flees. She hides under the front porch of a nearby house owned by John Henry, a large, quiet man. John takes her in over the objections of his father, BJ, who reluctantly helps translate her story. Although BJ mocks his sentimentality, John offers to help her.

Eventually, Emilio arrives at John's house, looking for Berta. Emilio, an American, explains that he was on the way to drop off his half-siblings at a shelter when Berta was kidnapped. Disgusted that Emilio was planning to ditch his family, BJ becomes closer to Berta. Berta insists that they return to the gangsters' house to look for Oscar, but Emilio insists that Oscar is dead. After Emilio describes a tattoo, John realizes that the gangsters are part of a crew run by his cousin Hell. Back in the 1990s, John quit the gang after realizing Hell's ambition would never allow the cycle of violence to end. John contacts Hell, who gives Emilio and Berta 24 hours to leave the city.

Hell betrays them and sends assassins to kill everyone in the house, though they are instructed to leave John alive long enough that he can watch Hell execute Berta. BJ and Emilio both die protecting Berta, but ride-or-die chick Savage botches Hell's plans when she stops John from assaulting Hell. Enraged, Hell leaves John for dead and orders Savage to be killed. John reasons that Hell, who never leaves anyone alive at the scene of a crime, wants him to suffer further. John accidentally shot and maimed Hell when they were teenagers, and John now refuses to use pistols.

After recovering, John grabs a sledgehammer and leaves to rescue Berta, whom he believes Hell still plans to kill in front of him. John's grandmother initially refuses to give him Hell's address but finally acknowledges that Hell is beyond redemption. John kills several gangsters with his sledgehammer, interrupting Savage's execution and leaving Hell short on muscle. Hell grants Savage a reprieve and orders her to kill John. Although conflicted, she confronts John, who cripples her but leaves her alive.

The final confrontation between John and Hell draws a crowd. Taking advantage of this, Hell brings out Berta and Oscar, whose public executions he believes will demonstrate his dominance. Although the rest of the neighborhood is scared, a boy named Deydey defies Hell and assists John. Savage kills Hell's remaining bodyguard while John kills Hell, then collapses, as Berta thanks him for rescuing her and Oscar.

Cast

Production

Terry Crews and Ludacris signed on as lead characters in May 2018, alongside Jamila Velazquez, Ken Foree, Tyler Alvarez and Joseph Julian Soria. [2] [3]

The film is produced by Eric B. Fleischman's Defiant Studios, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones' Automatik and Maurice Fadida's Kodiak Pictures. [2]

On May 21, 2018, principal photography for the film began in Los Angeles, California. [4] Fadida described it as a "micro-budget movie". [5]

Release

The film was released in limited theaters on January 24, 2020, in the United States, and then on DVD and video on demand on March 10, 2020. [6] [1] It began to stream on Netflix on May 11, 2020, at one point reaching the number-two most-popular title on the service. [5]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rare approval rating of 0% based on 21 reviews, with an average rating of 3.4/10. [7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 27 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [8]

Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Not that there was any expectation of cinematic gold being spun here, but director and co-writer Will Forbes never achieves any satisfying sense of momentum, interrupting the occasional burst of cartoonish violence with ponderous stretches of banter straining at QT irreverence." [9] Writing for The Hollywood Reporter , John DeFore said: "Clearly qualified in the physique department, Crews is an actor with enough charisma and range to carry either gritty genre adventures or more cartoony showdowns; but Forbes' tonal uncertainty and a stiff script leave him stranded here, in a world that lacks the gravity to put his conscience-driven reticence in context." [10] Jeannette Catsoulis of the New York Times called the film "a big slice of ham" and said: "The occasional witty line must fight to the death with a soundtrack that flips from flamenco guitars to hustling rap, depending on which ethnicity is onscreen, and ends with a spaghetti-western flourish." [6]

Possible sequel

After the film's initial success on Netflix, Fadida and Fleischman both expressed their interest in a second film. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Atlantic City</i> (1980 film) 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle

Atlantic City is a 1980 romantic crime film directed by Louis Malle from a screenplay by John Guare. It stars Burt Lancaster and Susan Sarandon in the leading roles, with a supporting cast featuring Kate Reid, Michel Piccoli, Robert Joy, Hollis McLaren, and Al Waxman. A co-production between French and Canadian companies filmed in late 1979, it was released in France and Germany in September 1980 and in the United States later that year by Paramount Pictures.

<i>Prizzis Honor</i> 1985 film by John Huston

Prizzi's Honor is a 1985 American black comedy crime film directed by John Huston, starring Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner as two highly skilled mob assassins who, after falling in love, are hired to kill each other. The screenplay co-written by Richard Condon is based on his 1982 novel of the same name. The film's supporting cast includes Anjelica Huston, Robert Loggia, John Randolph, CCH Pounder, Lawrence Tierney, and William Hickey. Stanley Tucci appears in a minor role in his film debut. It was the last of John Huston's films to be released during his lifetime.

<i>Sleepers</i> (film) 1996 film by Barry Levinson

Sleepers is a 1996 American legal crime drama film written, produced and directed by Barry Levinson, and based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's 1995 book of the same name. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Jason Patric, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Vittorio Gassman, Brad Renfro, Ron Eldard, Jeffrey Donovan, Terry Kinney, Joe Perrino, Geoffrey Wigdor, Jonathan Tucker, Bruno Kirby and Billy Crudup. The title is a slang term for juvenile delinquents who serve sentences longer than nine months.

<i>Another Stakeout</i> 1993 buddy cop action comedy film written by Jim Kouf and directed by John Badham

Another Stakeout is a 1993 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by John Badham and starring Richard Dreyfuss, Emilio Estevez, and Rosie O'Donnell. It is a sequel to the 1987 film, Stakeout. Unlike its predecessor, the film was neither a critical nor a commercial success.

<i>Gone in 60 Seconds</i> (2000 film) 2000 American action film directed by Dominic Sena

Gone in 60 Seconds is a 2000 American action heist film starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Christopher Eccleston, Robert Duvall, Vinnie Jones, Delroy Lindo, Chi McBride, and Will Patton. The film was directed by Dominic Sena, written by Scott Rosenberg, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The film is a loose remake of the 1974 H. B. Halicki film of the same name.

<i>The Gate</i> (1987 film) 1987 Canadian film by Tibor Takács

The Gate is a 1987 supernatural horror film directed by Tibor Takács and starring Stephen Dorff in his film debut. The film follows two young boys who accidentally release a horde of demons from their backyard through a large hole in the ground.

<i>Mickey Blue Eyes</i> 1999 American romcom crime film

Mickey Blue Eyes is a 1999 romantic comedy crime film directed by Kelly Makin. Hugh Grant stars as Michael Felgate, an English auctioneer living in New York City who becomes entangled in his soon-to-be father-in-law's mafia connections. Several of the minor roles are played by actors later featured in The Sopranos.

<i>Kill Your Darlings</i> (2006 film) 2006 Swedish film

Kill Your Darlings is a 2006 film directed by Björne Larson and written by Björne Larson and Johan Sandström. In an interview with Svenska Dagbladet, Larson said that the film is based on a real event in his life when he met a seemingly nice man at an internet cafe in Los Angeles who ended up leaving Larson bound and restrained in a desert. The film features a cast of many of the most popular contemporary Swedish actors and some less famous U.S. actors Julie Benz and Greg Germann, and Canadian Lolita Davidovitch.

<i>Good Dick</i> 2008 American film

Good Dick is a 2008 comedy drama film written and directed by Marianna Palka. Palka also stars in the film, opposite Jason Ritter. Good Dick premiered in the Dramatic Competition of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>The Onion Field</i> (film) 1979 film by Harold Becker

The Onion Field is a 1979 American neo-noir crime drama film directed by Harold Becker and written by Joseph Wambaugh, based on his 1973 true crime book of the same name. The film stars John Savage, James Woods and Franklyn Seales, as well as Ted Danson in his film debut.

<i>Savages</i> (2012 film) 2012 American action thriller film by Oliver Stone

Savages is a 2012 American action thriller film directed by Oliver Stone. It is based on Don Winslow's novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Shane Salerno, Stone, and Winslow. It stars Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Benicio del Toro, Demián Bichir, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and John Travolta. The film follows two marijuana growers, Chon, an ex-Navy SEAL and Ben, who are best friends, as they confront the Mexican drug cartel in order to free their shared girlfriend kidnapped by them.

<i>Citizen Gangster</i> 2013 Canadian film by Nathan Morlando

Citizen Gangster is a 2011 Canadian biographical drama film directed and written by Nathan Morlando. Scott Speedman stars as Canadian gangster and alleged murderer Edwin Alonzo Boyd.

<i>Europa Report</i> 2013 US science fiction film directed by Sebastián Cordero

Europa Report is a 2013 American science fiction film directed by Sebastián Cordero and written by Philip Gelatt. It stars Christian Camargo, Anamaria Marinca, Michael Nyqvist, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra, and Sharlto Copley. A found footage film, it recounts the fictional story of the first crewed mission to Europa, one of the four Galilean moons of Jupiter. Despite a disastrous technical failure that causes the loss of all communications with Earth, and a series of further crises, the crew continues its mission to Europa and finds mounting evidence of life on the moon.

<i>Virunga</i> (film) 2014 film

Virunga is a 2014 British documentary film directed by Orlando von Einsiedel. It focuses on the conservation work of park rangers within the Congo's Virunga National Park during the rise of the violent M23 Rebellion in 2012 and investigates the activity of the British oil company Soco International within the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Soco International ended up officially exploring oil opportunities in Virunga in April 2014. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on 17 April 2014. After airing on Netflix, it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Here Alone is a post-apocalyptic film directed by Rod Blackhurst. Written by David Ebeltoft, the film premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically on March 30, 2017.

<i>Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992</i> 2017 American film

Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 is a 2017 American documentary film directed by John Ridley about the decade preceding and including the 1992 Los Angeles riots. It was produced by Lincoln Square Productions, a subsidiary of ABC News, and was released in theaters in Los Angeles and New York on April 21, 2017. A shorter version aired on ABC on April 28, 2017. A rebroadcast of the film took place on June 16, 2020. The film has received critical acclaim.

<i>All Creatures Here Below</i> 2018 American film

All Creatures Here Below is a 2018 American drama film directed by Collin Schiffli and written by David Dastmalchian. The film is produced by Nacho Arenas, Amy Greene, and Chris Stinson under the banner of Planeo Films. The film stars Dastmalchian, Karen Gillan, David Koechner, John Doe, and Jennifer Morrison. The film premiered at the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival on October 18, 2018, and was theatrically released by Samuel Goldwyn Films on May 17, 2019, in the United States.

<i>Fantastic Fungi</i> 2019 documentary film

Fantastic Fungi is a 2019 American documentary film directed by Louie Schwartzberg. The film combines time-lapse cinematography, CGI, and interviews in an overview of the biology, environmental roles, and various uses of fungi. The film features interview segments with Paul Stamets and Michael Pollan, and is narrated by Brie Larson.

<i>The Mole Agent</i> 2020 film

The Mole Agent is a 2020 internationally co-produced documentary film directed by Maite Alberdi. It was screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Documentary Competition. At the 93rd Academy Awards, It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and was selected as the Chilean entry for Best International Feature Film, making the shortlist of fifteen films.

Ovation is a 2015 American comedy drama film written by Henry Jaglom and Ron Vignone, directed by Jaglom and starring Tanna Frederick and James Denton.

References

  1. 1 2 "John Henry (2020)". The Numbers . Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. 1 2 N'Duka, Amanda (30 May 2018). "Terry Crews & Ludacris To Topline Indie Drama 'John Henry'". Deadline. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Ludacris and Terry Crews to Star in Indie Dramatic Thriller 'John Henry'". Complex. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "John Henry - Production List | Film & Television Industry Alliance". Production List | Film & Television Industry Alliance. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 Matt Donnelly (May 15, 2020). "'John Henry' Producers on Their Netflix Ratings Smash, Dwayne Johnson Controversy and Potential Sequel". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Catsoulis, Jeannette (January 23, 2020). "'John Henry' Review: Hammer Time". The New York Times . Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. ↑ "John Henry (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  8. ↑ "John Henry (2020) reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  9. ↑ "'John Henry,' a swing and a miss at a Quentin Tarantino-style revenge thriller". Los Angeles Times. 24 January 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "'John Henry': Film Review". 23 January 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.