JOHNNY MNEMONIC

A head for numbers

RELEASED OUT NOW! 1995 | 15 | Blu-ray

Director Robert Longo

Cast Keanu Reeves, Dina Meyer,

Takeshi, Ice-t

Nothing dates like the future, as Johnny Mnemonic proves. Based on a short story by cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson, this tale of a data courier (Keane Reeves) transporting secrets in his head was made back when the internet and VR were in digital nappies, and its predictions about what they’d look like come 2021 are now quaintly laughable.

But you shouldn’t hold that against it – not when there’s so much else to… Conceived as a low-budget tech-noir thriller, the film suffered major studio interference that mutated it into a clunky, inelegant, bargainbasement blockbuster. Yet somehow, it retains a cheesy, naive gonzo charm.

Extras The main issue here is what’s missing: the warmly received black-and-white director’s re-edit of the film released in 2021 – especially galling as it’s mentioned twice in the other extras. However, you do get the eight-minutes-longer 1995 Japanese cut, with more screen time for Takeshi, more violence and an alternate score. An odd director’s commentary for the theatrical cut takes the form of a interview apparently conducted via mobile phone, while another commentary by Fangoria writer Richard Johnson – the one brand new bonus – gleefully points out all the film’s shortcomings while highlighting its significance in movie history.

More esoteric is an 11-minute short, “Tomorrow Calling” (1993), based on a Gibson story and made for Channel 4 (not particularly good, but interesting). There’s also behind-the-scenes footage (five minutes), a contemporary (and very bland) featurette (five minutes), six sound-bitey, on-set interviews (11 minutes in total) with the stars, Gibson and the director; a music video; and a trailer. The package also includes a booklet and six art cards. Nothing to make your head explode.

When Johnny stands on the roof of a car it’s a homage to Rick Deckard doing the same in Blade Runner, the director says.