Netflix’s Extremely Violent, R-Rated Buddy Comedy Slays Vampires With Reckless Abandon

By Robert Scucci
| Published 31 seconds ago

Normally, I’m not one to gush over vampire movies, but I’m a “never say never” kind of guy when it comes to my media consumption. While I admit that I had my reservations about checking out 2022’s Day Shift after punishing myself with 2005’s infamously terrible BloodRayne, I’m a fan of Jamie Foxx in most applications, having thoroughly enjoyed White House Down (2013) and They Cloned Tyrone (2023). Both films technically function in the buddy comedy wheelhouse, and the humor lands exceptionally well thanks to Foxx’s ability to play the straight man in increasingly ridiculous situations.

Day Shift brings that energy into the world of vampire hunting, where there’s payroll, union rules, and a code of conduct that needs to be followed for the whole machine to work in the shadows without too much collateral damage. With that dynamic in mind, Day Shift gets its laughs from constantly breaking those rules as an ancient, undead evil threatens the world as we know it.

Stuck On The Day Shift

When we’re introduced to Jamie Foxx’s unfortunately named Bud Jablonski, we quickly learn just how unfortunate every other aspect of his life is. Separated from his wife Jocelyn (Meagan Good), he does everything he can to provide for his daughter Paige (Zion Broadnax). Posing as a contract pool cleaner, Bud moonlights as a rogue vampire killer, collecting their teeth so he can pawn them off for extra cash. Facing mounting financial pressure because Jocelyn is threatening to sell the house and move out of town, Bud realizes what he has to do: rejoin the vampire hunting union.

There’s just one problem. Union boss Ralph Seeger (Eric Lange) doesn’t want him back because he has a long history of violating protocol. Don’t worry though, because we need Bud to rejoin the union for his movie to work, so Snoop Dogg’s Big John Elliott, a well-respected veteran vampire hunter, helps convince Seeger to allow him to work in an official capacity again.

Seeger, not exactly thrilled to let Bud back into the mix, forces him to work with Seth (Dave Franco), the most by-the-books union supervisor to ever walk on God’s green earth. Seth eats gluten-free muffins, speaks fluently in policy, and is tasked with clocking every single one of Bud’s infractions during his probationary trial before he can be fully welcomed back as a full-time member.

Right off the bat, Bud and Seth butt heads, but Seth warms up to his unconventional approach to vampire hunting when he sees the results. As their friendship forms throughout Day Shift, we learn what’s really at stake in the form of our antagonist, Audrey San Fernando (Karla Souza). Audrey has it out for Bud, who in the film’s opening sequence murdered an elderly vampire woman in her home who just so happens to be her daughter.

Stuck trying to do things his own way without getting the book thrown at him, Bud now has to worry about Audrey hunting down his family, who have no idea about his extracurricular vampire activities, for revenge.

Bloody, Buddy Cops

Not only does Day Shift offer an emotional throughline through Bud’s family dynamic, the buddy cop aspect of the film is what really sells its premise. Seth constantly getting sick to his stomach and soiling himself every time Bud and his vampire hunting friends rack up a body count becomes a recurring gag, and much of his character’s evolution comes from realizing that rules are sometimes meant to be broken when there’s a greater good at stake.

Fortunately for Bud, who’s racking up countless infractions while on probation, Seth’s knowledge of the employee handbook is so comprehensive that he knows all the loopholes they can lean on when things get dicey. Seth also learns that there are more important things in life than following protocol, like family, which is why Bud is so hellbent on getting his job back in the first place.

Bud’s heart and chaotic charm are perfectly foiled by Seth every step of the way, and as they become fast friends while facing their immortal enemies, they turn into an unstoppable force of nature, exactly what you need when an ancient evil posing as a real estate agent is trying to wipe out humanity one pre-fab housing development at a time.

While my mileage varies on most Netflix Originals, Day Shift holds its own by taking an inherently absurd premise and matching it with a tried-and-true buddy cop formula. It’s not high art, but it’s a wildly entertaining trip through a San Fernando suburb plagued with vampires and daywalkers alike.

Day Shift is a Netflix Original and can be streamed with an active subscription.