He Never Died

The secluded anti-social Jack (Henry Rollins) spends most of the time at home sleeping and watching television. Every now and then he meets the hospital intern Jeremy (Booboo Stewart) to buy blood; he goes to the nearby diner where he is attended by the waitress Cara (Kate Greenhouse) that likes him; and he plays bingo in the local church. Out of the blue, he receives a phone call from his former girlfriend that asks him to meet their daughter Andrea (Jordan Todosey) in a bar. He brings Andrea home, breaking his routine and turning his life upside-down. When she is abducted by a local mafia, Jack is forced to unleash his latent violence.

"He Never Died" is a strange movie that has potential of cult-movie. The dark humor is excellent and Henry Rollins has top-notch performance in the role of a weird cannibal creature that never dies. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Ele Nunca Morre" ("He Never Dies")

And, the really amazing thing, is that the above line of dialog was just a throw-away, not even something important enough to build a scene around. That's the kind of movie this is.

Reviewers Notes:

1. The first legitimate successor to the quirky Canadian horror flick, Ginger Snaps, which is doubly ironic because the two "official" sequels to that film were OMIGAWD terrible.

2. Completely insane and unpredictable yet strangely charming. By coincidence, this reviewer just finished a review of Quentin Tarantino's THE HATEFUL EIGHT and, in said review, pointed out how far QT has strayed from the charm and sly humor which demarked his earlier films. This strange little film could almost pass for an early work of QT, that is how offbeat it is.

3. Henry Rollins is great, almost re-defines the "man with no name" anti-hero persona first created by Clint Eastwood in the 60s. He does not say much, he just wants to be left alone, women initially are torn between wanting to date him and/or calling a cop, picking a fight with him is INVARIABLY A REALLY REALLY BAD IDEA, and his mono-syllabic responses to every question walk the fine line between autism and efficiency.

4. Engaging, charming, and generally a fun ride. Deserves a cult following.

((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

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.

Jack (Henry Rollins) has developed a routine for his life that he sticks to in order to avoid giving into the impulse to engage in cannibalism. He stays away from society other than regular trips to a local diner, bingo games, and to the hospital, where he purchases blood from a hospital intern, Jeremy (Booboo Stewart).

Although there is a little bit of some bad acting (especially characters in the first 10 minutes), this seems to clear up. Rollins is a dominating force, which is no surprise. He has always been great at commanding attention, and this is a character that is well-suited for him.

I am confused about this being listed as a comedy. Some reviewers even say it is "laugh out loud funny", but I just didn't see it. There are some moments of dark humor, but as a whole it really doesn't play as a comedy and I think it would be better if they didn't suggest that it was. Let the film speak for itself.

Most disappointing is how the film is essentially a pilot for a miniseries. I love the characters, love the Biblical themes they were going for, but it was clear this movie was not scripted to be wrapped up in one movie. If the miniseries were to fall through, the movie would suffer as a result. I see that as a shortcoming, though it is one that could yet be rectified.

I feel that so many people missed the point of this movie. To explain any more of his character or the world he lives in would simply dumb down the story and remove the mystery that makes this story so haunting. This movie depicts an immortal being that is totally detached from humanity. How could any person alive for 1000's of years still care about petty bullshit and after 1000's of years how wouldn't everything become petty bullshit. Henry Rollins has hilarious dead pan delivery that is funny without betraying his characters apathetic nature. This is brought across even in the action sequences which make them even more gripping and realistic.