Psychopathic serial killer lovers meet their match in a domineering casino boss with a demon on a string. That’s the hook for Johnny & Clyde, which dulls the senses with a mindless stream of bloody violence and cartoonish execution. New wave synth pounds your eardrums as despicable lead characters lick each other like everlasting gobstoppers, their grotesque coterie amassing new sadists under a neon red lighting scheme. It’s all style and zero substance in a woefully fractured narrative. Megan Fox’s sultry villainess offers the only redeeming quality. She gets minor chuckles as a ruthless control freak.
Alana Heart (Fox) entertains an intrepid reporter (Vanessa Angel) in her office as manager of the Four Horses Casino. There are rumors she has a satanic henchman to settle grievances. She laughs at the absurd accusation. Meanwhile, the infamous Johnny (Avan Jogia) and Clyde (Ajani Russell) stop at a highway gas station. The spree killers and robbers make quick work of a hapless attendant, a slight diversion from their usual pastime of motel room fornication on wads of stolen cash.
Their latest murder gets the attention of disgraced Sheriff Randall Lock (Armen Garo). He wants revenge for Johnny and Clyde carving up his daughter. The carnage couple learns of a much bigger score while attempting to rob an armored car. The Four Seasons Casino holds a vast fortune at a relatively unprotected secret location.
Ambitious Intentions
Screen Media
Johnny decides to wrangle some old chums for the heist of a lifetime. The suicidal Butcher (Nick Principe), insane bomber Baker (Charles W. Harris III), and torturer Candlestick (Robert Lasardo) jump at the chance. Who can turn down money and mass casualties? Alana gets wind of their ambitious intentions and decides to bring her heavy hitter into the game. She summons the Elder (Fred Sullivan) to awaken the demonic Bakwas (also Principe).
There’s a lot to criticize, but let’s begin with the most egregious. Clyde parades around scantily clad. She delights in shooting innocent people and has very little dialogue. Johnny controls her like a puppet. He yaps constantly while she worships his maniacal bloodlust. Johnny uses her as a sexual distraction before moving in for the kill. She doesn’t contribute anything to an already feeble plot. Her characterization is cheap and offensive. It’s bad enough she’s an unrepentant monster. Clyde needed to actually speak and be more than just heinous arm candy.
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The premise has Johnny & Clyde constantly on the run. Law enforcement can’t catch them. They are the country’s most wanted criminals. Inexplicably, Lock, Heart, and various other goons always know their location for blazing impromptu gun battles. This happens constantly throughout the film. Everyone just pops up to tussle at random. There had to be some explanation, no matter how inane, of these showdowns. The fact there isn’t proves the filmmakers had no interest in logically connecting any dots.
Megan Fox’s Unique Interests
Megan Fox has a running gag that saves the film from being an abject disaster. She has two submissive slaves in bondage outfits, Honey (Brett Azar) and Pot (Sydney Jenkins), who serve her every whim like obedient lapdogs. Let’s just say she has unique interests that aren’t for the faint of heart. Johnny & Clyde is a jumbled mess otherwise.
Johnny & Clyde is a production of Hyperborea Films, LaSalle Productions, and Verdi Productions. It will have a concurrent theatrical and VOD release on May 5th from Screen Media Films.
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