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This image released by Netflix shows Karla Souza in a scene from "Day Shift." 

This image released by Netflix shows Jamie Foxx, left, and Snoop Dogg in a scene from "Day Shift." 

This image released by Netflix shows Karla Souza in a scene from "Day Shift." 

This image released by Netflix shows Jamie Foxx, left, and Snoop Dogg in a scene from "Day Shift." 

Summer is usually an odd season for vampire movies, no matter if it's the traditional blood-sucking monsters lurking in the dark or the sparkly teen heartthrob variety.  But every now and then a movie pops up in the daylight and turns out to be pretty decent.

“The Day Shift” — a Netflix original — is such a movie.  It stars Jamie Foxx playing Bud Jablonski, a vampire hunter working in California’s San Fernando Valley.  His work has estranged him from his wife and daughter, and if he can’t raise enough money for his daughter’s tuition, his family will move to Florida.

The movie was directed by J.J. Perry who has worked as a stunt man and second-unit director in the industry for several years; Perry coordinated stunts for “Django Unchained” in which Foxx also starred.  It is also co-produced by Chad Stahelski, the director of the "John Wick" franchise and former stunt coordinator.

Many critics from ABC to CNN to The Hollywood Reporter panned the movie, citing its raucous tone and it being too action-oriented.  While Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 59% aggregation, it tested only slightly better with audiences who gave it 62%.

However, if you’re looking for a decent action romp, this movie is for you.  There’s a fun buddy cop vs. monsters vibe similar to “Shaun of the Dead” and the interactions between Foxx and Franco are funny.

Foxx is obviously charismatic, but Franco has probably the best character arc of the movie going from an anti-gun/violence pencil pusher to a literal lethal killing machine without being deliberately obnoxious.

But what is more fascinating is the world building inherent to the story.  There is definitely a familiar John Wick-esque vibe running throughout the world the characters inhabit.  While many of the vampire hunters drive around in vehicles promoting their profession, nothing screams “monster killer.”  Foxx, for example, masquerades as a swimming pool cleaner.

But more than that, there is an entire network of hunters that are all professionally unionized.  In fact, this union is a major plot point as Jablonski must rejoin in order to make the kind of money he needs to support his family.

Vampire teeth are traded for cash like diamonds.  They are handled with care like rare gemstones, analyzed for their age, their shape, and any impurities — like chips or cracks — caused by the hunt.  The older the fang, the higher the value.

The world building doesn’t stop with a one-size-fits-all breed of vampire.  In fact, the film details five different types and while they all have similar abilities like increased strength and agility, they also have other unique traits specific to their typology.  The fangs are actually the key to identifying which type a hunter encounters.

There is a lot of potential to explore if Netflix is open to producing a sequel as this movie barely scratches the surface on what these different kinds of vampires can do.  There is also a nod to another big bad vamp called “El Jefe” — name dropped by Snoop Dogg’s character Big John; he could be an interesting villain for a possible future entry.

Ignore the naysayers and give the movie a go if you have any interest in it.  It’s got the right blend for an action-comedy with some decent storytelling payoffs, laugh-out-loud moments, and fight choreography.

Garrett K. Jones is a staff writer for The Sentinel. 

Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Dave Franco

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