Johnny Mnemonic
Short description
In a future where information is the most valuable commodity, Johnny is a courier who has a chip implanted in his brain, allowing him to carry data that is too sensitive for ordinary networks. On one job he takes on more material than the implant was built to hold, and if it is not extracted in time, the overload will kill him. The data he is carrying turns out to be far more important than he expected, and powerful interests want it for themselves, sending assassins after him as he tries to survive and unload it. The film is based on a story by William Gibson, who also wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Robert Longo.
Keanu Reeves plays Johnny, with Dina Meyer, Takeshi Kitano, Ice-T, Dolph Lundgren and Denis Akiyama among the cast. The film was released in May 1995 and runs 97 minutes.
It was made for about 25 million dollars and took in roughly 19 million worldwide, a return below its production cost. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.6 from around 81,000 votes, and on TMDB a rating of 5.8 from about 1,600 votes, placing it around the middle of the scale rather than at either extreme. A critics' rating of 4.3 from 42 reviews is lower than both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Filming took place primarily in Canada (Toronto and Montreal), but some episodes were shot in the small American town of Newark (New Jersey).
- Jane's bodyguard does not appear in the story at all; William Gibson created the character specifically for the screen adaptation.
- At the time of the scriptwriting (1993), "Johnny Mnemonic" was planned to be a black and white film with a budget of no more than one million dollars.
- The film is based on the short story of the same name by William Gibson.
- The full version of the film in Japan had a runtime of 107 minutes.
- The Japanese version of the film is seven minutes longer than the release version.
- The film was almost finished when 'Speed' (1994) was released, instantly turning Keanu Reeves into an action star. Therefore, Sony studio executives ordered reshoots of some scenes, adding gunfights and fights to the film (originally, the film was conceived as an ironic mix of 'neo-noir' and 'cyberpunk' with no hint of a 'blockbuster' title), and significantly 'cut' the role of Dolph Lundgren, which they considered too 'anti-religious'.
- Initially, Val Kilmer and Jane March were planned for the leading roles.
- The film was in post-production for almost a year.
- The anime playing in the background during the scene of the yakuza attack (at the beginning of the film, when Johnny is uploading data) is "Shinjuku: City of Lost Angels" (1988).
- Composer Michael Danna wrote the music for the Japanese version of the film.
- The film's screenwriter, William Gibson, claims that Robert Longo's filmed version and the theatrical release of "Johnny Mnemonic" are worlds apart. According to him, the studio cut 90% of Dolph Lundgren's role.
- The amount of information Johnny is capable of carrying is only 80 gigabytes; the maximum possible is 160 gigabytes.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
