John Henry (2020 film)

John Henry is a 2020 American dramatic thriller film starring Terry Crews and Ludacris, and directed by Will Forbes. Inspired by the folk lore of John Henry, the plot follows an ex-Los Angeles gang member 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.

John Henry
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWill Forbes
Produced by
  • Maurice Fadida
  • Eric B. Fleischman
  • Brian Kavanaugh-Jones
Written by
  • Doug Skinner
  • Will Forbes
Starring
Music by
  • Will Forbes
  • DJ Quik
CinematographyIsiah Donte Lee
Edited byJoe Rosenbloom
Production
company
  • Defiant Studios
  • Automatik
Distributed bySaban Films
Release date
  • January 24, 2020 (2020-01-24) (United States)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Premise

The film follows ex-gang member, John Henry, who traded violence for a quieter life in South Los Angeles. Henry meets two immigrant children running from his former gang leader and has to decide if he'll revisit his troubled past to help give the two children a better future.

Cast

Production

On May 30, 2018, it was announce that Terry Crews and Ludacris had signed as leads characters in the film, 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]

Filming

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 an approval rating of 0% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 3.45/10.[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]

References
  1. "John Henry (2020)". The Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  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. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  5. 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. Catsoulis, Jeannette (January 23, 2020). "'John Henry' Review: Hammer Time". The New York Times. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  7. "John Henry (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  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. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/john-henry-1272305
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