Review of He Never Died (2015) by Anders A — 21 Dec 2015
Sternly charming and devilishly funny in his perpetual longevity.
Mythical entity or immortal is usually portrayed as suave gentleman with silver tongue in cinema, however it's utterly surprising that Terminator-esque robotic personality with tendency to be overly literal in his speech proves to be equally appealing. The whole set-up works due to the main lead Henry Rollins, who is truly an unorthodox cast as his works primarily consists of voice acting and hosting documentary in History Channel, yet he's displaying a knack for comedy and action almost effortlessly.
This is a sort of mix between the vengeance theme movies like John Wick or Equalizer from last year with incredibly odd lead character in Jack (Henry Rollins). He is straightforward and awkward in mannerism, nearly devoid of any formality yet still remains serendipitously humorous. Rollins can even be frightening if needs be, a complete package for comedy thriller.
It's an example of the actors fits the character so well that it can be amusing even when doing mundane things like playing bingo. The two supporting cast Jordan Todosey as Andrea and Kate Greenhouse as Cara are good addition. They make some of the more hilarious scenes simply because the contrasting nature against Jack's rigidity, especially Cara who tiptoes between silly love interest, reluctant accomplish and mild comedy relief.
There is a good balance of violence action for every humor thrown at the gritty tone. The blood and gore come out of nowhere, which just add to the shocking effect from normal setting of small city's diner and apartments. By utilizing the gap between humor and violence, it creates an indifference mood that might be overblown elsewhere, but with the deliberate presentation of the nihilist main character, the movie remains entertaining on both aspects.
This is an immortality angle done right, with intense excessive brutality, fun jab at humor and an impeccable actor as the near superhero and terribly jaded lead.
This review of He Never Died (2015) was written by Anders A on 21 Dec 2015.
He Never Died has generally received positive reviews.
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