Johnny Sunshine - Maximum Violence
Reviewed By : Billy Sick

Release Year : 2008

Directed By : Matt Yeager

Written By : Sean-Michael Argo

Starring : Shey Bland, John Patrick McCauley, Eric Halsell

Related Links : Official Site

 

Johnny Sunshine. Zombie slayer. Snuff movie star, cold hearted killer who films it all for a manipulative boss and an eager public. Life is hard and brutal in the Sprawl, the urban no mans land where the less privileged live in the wake of the zombie rising. And, life is going to get much harder real quickly for Johnny, as plans are afoot to end her snuff career with a deadly finale.

It's shot on an ultra low budget, but you'll honestly hardly notice as it manages to pack plenty of style, brutality, and a surprising amount of finesse into its 80 minutes running time. This is one of the coldest films you'll see in a long while, for the residents of the Sprawl violence and betrayal come as naturally as breathing, a dark portrait of the seedier recesses of mankind.

Shey Bland is great in the lead as Johnny Sunshine - she's one of the sexiest killers you'll ever see, a dark destroying angel. Breasts splashed with blood, she looks great, and has a really cold, dark humour to her. Safe sex with a crowbar ;) - this black thread of gallows humour just adds to the disorientating sense of a conscienceless society where nothing is taboo and violence is the norm.

Visually the film delivers well, not flinching from nastiness and serving it up with satisfying style. On screen it all looks great, added impact given by the narrative, which works well to enhance the feeling of moral desolation. Could this be us, where we are heading? Isn't snuff just the ultimate extension of fly on the wall TV that is so popular today?

It's one of those great fun films that doesn't really give you pause for breath. True, with a budget like this you can't expect the clinically empty technical perfection that big bucks Hollywood crap offers, but here you get something budget can't buy - enjoyment, passion, a film daring to try something different. And, it works well, it will pull you in to a place where the soul and heart are void, where there is only the flesh and the dollar.

Step into a cold and brutal world where zombies walk, where death and treachery are constant companions. Bleak hedonism rules here, humanity feeding on eachother far more coldly than the dead ever could. Welcome to the world of Johnny Sunshine, and enjoy.