Henry Rollins comes in with a horror showing today for our day 18, He Never Died
He Never Died!
Movie Details:
- Release Date: 2015
- “Run”time: 1 hour 39 minutes
- Where to watch it: Streaming
- Directed by: Jason Krawczyk
- Written by: Jason Krawczyk
- Starring:
- Henry Rollins
- Booboo Stewart
- Kate Greenhouse
Synopsis: A man who tries to keep to himself is confronted with his past, the mob, and the 19 year old daughter he didn’t know about.
Open Stab Wounds (out of 10): 7
Review: I really like Henry Rollins. I figured listening to Black Flag while I write this would be the most fitting. I’ve had the opportunity to go see his current speaking tour and I highly recommend going to that if you get the chance. The first movie I remember seeing him in was Johnny Mnemonic in the mid nineties; I love that film and I loved his character. Needless to say, I’m a fan. He’s stayed very busy over the years and one of those projects was tonight’s movie. Tonight we watched He Never Died.
He Never Died tells the story of Jack (Henry Rollins), a loner who tries to keep to himself, pass the time with bingo and sleep, and enjoys the local diner on a daily basis. You can tell he has a past, but he is definitely a man of few words and does not share. We’re introduced to some local thugs that want Jack to go see their boss, we’re introduced to Jack’s daughter Andrea (Jordan Todosey), and we meet Cara (Kate Greenhouse), his normal waitress at the diner.
The movie is not really a slow burn, but it does take its time with the story. I don’t necessarily think this was a bad thing, but I might have just been enjoying another Rollins role. We find out that Andrea is there to meet Jack for the first time and an interesting relationship dynamic starts between them. The goons keep coming after him and he fends them off with what you can tell is an unbridled rage that he seems to have inside him. During these moments of rage we start to see that Jack is definitely not normal. He shakes off punches, stabbings, and bullets like they are nothing.
The relationship between Jack and Andrea is tested when she is kidnapped by the thugs. This leads Jack down some interesting paths and, I think, to the ultimate point of the movie. More is learned about Jack and who/what he truly is. Cara is roped into the whole ordeal and is almost forced to help him in Andrea’s rescue, acting as a voice of reason to Jack.
All these different pieces start to add up, until we reach a mixture of a turning point and a conclusion. We’re left with an ending that leaves it up to the view to speculate on. Did something change with Jack? What is up with Andrea seeing the guy in the diner? Who was the man in the diner and why did he keep showing up? Was this movie good or do I just love Henry Rollins?
I did enjoy the film. I can’t say the acting was stellar, but it was better than some of the other films we’ve watched. The fact that they did a story with biblical leanings without making it a religious film was something I really appreciated. The fighting was enjoyable and the practical effects, limited as they were, were well done.
If I had to look at this film from a critics standpoint, it probably wouldn’t rate very high, but fuck critics. It had Henry Rollins and he fucking rocks! Give it a watch if you’ve got nothing better to do and even more so if you’re a fan.
Thanks for reading and watching along with us! Be sure to keep up with all 31 days of our Halloween Horror Film coverage!
Oh, and make sure to follow Brandon on Twitter @BarnyardCruz and Kevin @Solucid!