What if I told you there exist a movie that combines elements of John Wick, vampires, and the bible into one film that doesn’t suck?  If you’re unfamiliar with He Never Died, you might call me a liar, and rightfully so.  However, Henry Rollins isn’t the type of actor you simply overlook. He Never Died follows hermit-like Jack in his simple quest to follow a monotonous daily routine.  Watch television, eat at the same diner, play bingo, sleep, rinse and repeat.  This keeps Jack on the straight and narrow until the daughter he never knew existed shows up and shatters his regimen.  Suddenly Jack finds that he must face his long and storied past.

First things first, some information that you might think is a spoiler, isn’t actually a spoiler.  They want you to know that some strange vampiric element is going on, as well as the fact that Jack has been referred to as Cain from the bible.  Finding this information out isn’t the “fun” of the movie; it’s how it all fits together.  So lets talk some specifics. Jack is a vampire.  Now normally this a device that pushes the plot a certain direction, dictates characters interaction, etc, yet He Never Died barely addresses it.  There is no talk about the “rules” of vampires in this universe, other than blood has a very distinct affect on Jack.  We are also made aware that this affliction we call vampirism is actually the “Mark of Cain”.  And this is where the film shows that it is more than just a comedic, action-packed horror film.

The entire film gives subtle nods to the various Cain mythos.  Whether it be the many jobs that Cain supposedly held, or the nature of the curse itself, the legend of Cain (and therefore Jack) is slowly fed to us.  One of my favorite mechanics used to achieve this is via Jack’s dreams.  The budget isn’t the kind to allow elaborate flashbacks, so instead we see Jack sleeping while hearing sounds of screams, explosions, and other sounds of battle.  Letting the theater of the mind play these events out is far more effective than any actual representation could have been.To further build on this, Henry Rollins plays Jack brilliantly.  You can FEEL just how tired Jack is with life.  After millenia of existence, he simply wants to get through each day as quickly as he can.  But as this is slowly taken away from him, the pent up rage of hundreds of years is unleashed.  It’s at this point that everything the movie has built could have flown off the rails, but thankfully writer/director, Jason Krawczyk, along with Rollins, keep this in check.

Set expectations accordingly here.  This isn’t terrifying or insanely gory.  Instead He Never Died is an excellent example of film making that we’re lucky to have belong to our genre because it doesn’t fit anywhere else.  There are some budget constraints, but they go nearly unnoticed do to the well written story and the superb talent of Henry Rollins.  The action is  top-notch, the humor is grim, and the story is superb.  This is one of those rare cross-genre gems that you won’t want to miss. He Never Died swings for the fences and knocks one out of the park.

Look for it in theaters and VOD platforms on December 18th, 2015.

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