John Henry
Every child in the U.S. learns the story of John Henry, a strong man whose ability to swing a hammer leads him to defeat a machine built to replace him. It’s one of those stories that blur the lines between fact and fiction, with countless variations of the legend being shared over the years. The only constants are John’s strength, his ability to challenge a force greater than himself, and his death.
Will Forbes’ John Henry is an extremely loose reimagining of the classic tale. Taking place in the modern-day, John (Terry Crews) is a former gang member whose strength and past continue to carry weight in the streets. John’s quiet life is upended when an immigrant girl on the run from his old crew shows up on his doorstep, and before long, John finds himself facing off against the same people he once considered family.
If all that sounds vaguely reminiscent of a dozen different films, it’s because John Henry is painfully short on original ideas. Even the opening sequence, which sees John encountering a gangster who kills his dog, feels lifted (albeit poorly) from the far superior John Wick series. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t borrow nearly enough from the folk tales about its titular character to give him an identity of his own. Aside from being big and quiet, we know next to nothing about John or what makes him tick. His doings between the moment he left his former gang and when we meet him is a blank space of reclusiveness that’s never addressed or explored. Similar complaints can be made about the equally thin supporting characters that he encounters.
John Henry’s greatest accomplishment is that it somehow simultaneously manages to be both preposterous and dull. How does a movie about a hammer-swinging strongman, protecting illegal immigrants by facing off against a gangster cousin (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) who literally has a golden jaw struggle to find a pulse? How does an hour of screen time pass before John shakes his quiet demeanor and unleashes the violent tendencies within? And why do we care about him? The film has no answers, and it doesn’t attempt to guess. Events unfold, bad guys come and go, and John does what John does in every story ever written about him to one extent or another. If we’re going to resurrect the man and myths around him, why not add to it?
Aside from an admirable performance from Crews, John Henry misses virtually every mark. It’s not all that fun or exciting, and it’s far from original. Don’t waste your time. You, just like everyone involved in making this movie, deserve better than John Henry.
Grade: C-minus. Now available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Vudu
(Photo: Saban Films)
