‘Johnny Mnemonic’ is not a good movie but can be a ‘guilty pleasure’

By Rafael Abreu

Released in 1995, directed by Robert Longo, with a screenplay by William Gibson (based on his own short story), the film stars Keanu Reeves as the titular character Johnny, playing a data trafficker in the year 2021. After overloading his brain with data, he must find a way to safely dispose of it before it seeps completely and kills him.

Does this sound ridiculous yet?

Besides having been plagued by executive meddling, the film has a pretty out-there concept that could have easily come off as silly when it was released. It’s a classic example of cyberpunk fiction in film, featuring cyberspace (the film and author Gibson’s take on the then-mysterious-and-unknown “internet”), weird fashions, a dystopian MegaCorp run world, and VCRs, apparently, along with AT&T pay-phones with screens on them so you can see who’s calling.

Of course, you can forgive the film for its outdated look at the internet and the future, among other things. However, you can’t forgive a film for strange direction, awkward acting, and a plot hole ridden story that makes almost no sense.

Part of the fun, I feel, is watching the film and noticing how nonsensical it is; you could make a list of the film’s plot holes, among its other odd problems.

Then there’s the aforementioned acting and directing, which isn’t awful, but comes off as weird sometimes. Some of the acting by some of the actors is either over-the-top, awkward, or just not good.

In fact, sometimes the acting by a single actor can go from fine, to odd, to not good at all, depending on the scene they’re in and how the lines are delivered.

With all the wrong that “Johnny Mnemonic” does, I can’t help but like it. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the genre and the type of film it is, but something about it makes me enjoy it all the way through.

From the visuals to the soundtrack to the overall concept, it’s a film that’s become somewhat of a cult favorite for a reason. Whether it’s the hammy acting by Dolph Lundgren, the not-even-worth-talking-about plot, Ice-T (yes, that Ice-T), or Keanu Reeves screaming about room service, there is a certain charm to “Johnny Mnemonic,” one which has kept this film at least somewhat popular among some groups.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a bad movie, and even fans of this film agree on that. It’s definitely what some people would call a “guilty pleasure.”

Still, it’s a film that I enjoy for all the right and wrong reasons, but would only recommend to people who like this kind of stuff.

If you don’t like Keanu Reeves, you’re going to hate this film. But if you are interested in this kind of film, I don’t see why you shouldn’t at least give it a shot, provided you know what you’re getting yourself into.

P.S. If you watch this film and genuinely like it, you can look up the rarely seen Japanese cut, which is almost ten minutes longer, has a different soundtrack, features more screen time by famous Japanese actor Takeshi, and uses alternate shots of scenes, among other differences.