SXSW ’15 REVIEW

SXSW Review: HE NEVER DIED

Name: He Never Died review
Item: He Never Died
Rating: 3
Author: Matt Oakes

By Matt Oakes · March 22, 2015

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OG Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins has been lending himself out to little movie roles since he left the band in 1986. Arguably his most prominent and commercial appearance came out of his run on Sons of Anarchy as the muscle of white supremacist group the League of American Nationalists. In the role, Rollins hinted at a dangerous side – ok, “hinted” is a vast understatement – whereas with He Never Died, he pairs that dangerous edge with some delightfully droll humor. The combination keep the wheels turning in this laugh out loud funny and mostly compelling midnighter.

Operating under the assumption that less is more – and here, he’s totally right to – Rollins underplays the funny bits of Jack, a kind of fallen angel type who, you guessed it, never dies. Part of the fun is figuring out who/what Jack is – he is a vampire? a demon? a brainy zombie? – so I won’t spoil the fun for the uninitiated. I will however hint towards the fact that – as is made obvious by the film’s title – he’s no mere mortal.

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When we meet Jack, he’s a self-inflicted hermit living a regulated life of dropping into church bingo, eating his three meals a day at a barely average diner and exchanging caches of cash for brown paper satchels of… something. Discovering what that something is begins to make Jack take form so again, its identity will go uncovered.

Despite his best efforts to live a life of solitude, Jack finds a young girl claiming to be his daughter, Andrea (Jordan Todosey), on his doorstep one rainy afternoon, disorienting his isolationist practices with her 21st century laid back attitude and casual nosing into his personal affairs. Just as Andrea begins to tweak his routine for the better – maybe talk to diner waitress Cara (Kate Greenhouse) who’s never had anything but warm looks to offer? – Jack finds himself wrapped up in a criminal plot courtesy of the mystery satchels that he wants no absolutely part of.

Regardless of the fact that Jack has no intention of stirring up trouble, he proves an incredibly effective killer – a favorable side effect of his immorality. Up against a group of criminal scum and assorted evildoers of the garden variety, Jack is a kind of unflinching, indestructible Bryan Mills type. He crushes his way through assemblies of armed men with his bare fists, regardless of how many bullets they plug into him. And though much more interested in getting back to the swing of normality than pursuing any kind of vengeful bloodlust, Jack will do whatever is required of him to ensure that Andre and Cara are out of harm’s way and not necessarily in a gentle manner. A fact that a corral of baddies can attest to.

As a kind of horror film noir, He Never Died cleverly thrives on the experience of watching Jack unfold. Though potentially one-dimensional, Jack benefits greatly from Rollins’ “man of few words” schtick. A goon winding up to punch Jack is told “Don’t”. After a real walloping, Jack barely flinches. “I told you not to do that,” he grumbles before snapping the man’s arm in two.

Jack’s brand of unaffected, “did you really just do that?” reactions lend the action a sense of categorical silliness. It makes for the kind of comedy you that if you know it’s not your cup of tea, you’re unlikely to react to any of the film’s budding charm. Budget constraints keep a lot of the action offscreen but when writer/director Jason Krawczyk is able to put the rumpus fights front and center, he makes sure to do so mostly in a comic manner. As far as He Never Died is concerned, this makes the proceedings gleeful and bemusing, if light on the genre’s signature bloodstained offerings.