Johnny Mnemonic (film)

Did You Know?

• The film's website was the first official site launched by Columbia TriStar Interactive.
• A pinball machine titled Johnny Mnemonic was released.
• The Wachowskis used Johnny Mnemonic as a template for describing The Matrix to investors.

Plot

In 2021, society is driven by a virtual Internet that has created a degenerative effect called nerve attenuation syndrome (NAS). Megacorporations control much of the world, intensifying class hostility. Johnny is a mnemonic courier who transports sensitive data in a brain implant at the cost of his childhood memories. His current job for scientists in Beijing exceeds his memory capacity, but he agrees for the fee to remove the device. He must have the data extracted within days or suffer fatal brain damage. The scientists encrypt the data with three random images from a television feed and transmit them to Newark, but they are attacked and killed by yakuza led by Shinji. Johnny escapes with a fragment of the encryption key. The yakuza work for Pharmakom, a megacorporation. Johnny witnesses projections of an AI later identified as Anna Kalmann, Pharmakom's former CEO who became an AI upon her death. In Newark, his handler Ralfi betrays him, but Johnny is rescued by Jane, a cybernetically-enhanced bodyguard, and the LoTeks, an anti-establishment group. Jane takes him to Spider, who reveals the data is a stolen cure for NAS that Pharmakom withholds to profit from mitigation treatments. The encryption fragments are insufficient, so they seek Jones at the LoTeks' base. An assassin called the Street Preacher attacks, killing Spider as Johnny and Jane escape.

Development

Director Robert Longo, known for his artwork and music videos, became interested in adapting William Gibson's Johnny Mnemonic. Longo and Gibson began work on a screenplay in 1989. Longo first attempted to finance the film through Warner Bros. in 1990, but the project was put on hold after a merger. Longo nearly gave up but continued making contacts. They sought to sell the film as an art film on a small budget but failed to get financing. Gibson said they wanted to avoid flashy visuals and plunge the audience into a strange but consistent universe. Longo commented that the project started as an arty $1.5 million movie and became a $30 million movie because they could not get the smaller amount. His lawyer suggested studios were not interested in such a small project. The growth of the Internet in the early 1990s made cyberpunk more relevant, motivating Sony Pictures to fund the project. Val Kilmer was originally cast in the title role; Keanu Reeves replaced him when Kilmer dropped out. Gibson approved of the casting. Reeves' Canadian nationality opened up Canadian tax incentives. Longo had to hire a Canadian cinematographer instead of Michael Chapman.

Production

Gibson said Sony executives pressed them about whether the film had busses or explosions. Longo believed the financiers' demands compromised his artistic vision. Casting decisions such as Dolph Lundgren were forced upon Longo to increase international appeal; Longo and Gibson created a new character for him. Lundgren intended his role as the street preacher to showcase his range, but his monologue was cut due to fears of offending religious groups. Takeshi Kitano was cast to appeal to the Japanese market. Henry Rollins joined because he liked the film's focus on an underclass. The film significantly deviates from the short story, turning Johnny into the primary action figure and replacing Molly Millions with Jane. Nerve attenuation syndrome (NAS) is a fictional disease not in the short story, caused by overexposure to electromagnetic radiation. References to Jones the dolphin's heroin addiction were cut. Three different visual effects teams created the computer-generated imagery for virtual reality sequences. Concept artist Syd Mead designed Jones' cybernetic implants.

Reception

The film grossed ¥73.6 million ($897,600) in its first three days in Japan from 14 screens. In the United States and Canada, it opened in 2,030 theaters, grossing $6 million in its opening weekend and $19.1 million total against its $26 million budget. Gibson was told the film performed well in Asia and was one of the few profitable films for Sony in 1995. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it an average grade of C+. Variety's Todd McCarthy called it high-tech trash likened to a video game. Roger Ebert gave it two stars out of four, calling it one of the great goofy gestures of recent cinema. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly rated it C− and called it a slack and derivative future-shock thriller. Conversely, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle described it as inescapably a very cool movie. Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle wrote that it works well for both Gibson fans and those unfamiliar with his work. Caryn James of The New York Times called it a disaster in every way and a shabby imitation of Blade Runner and Total Recall.