Checkout (2006)

A highly-trained ninja assassin settles for a job as a supermarket stock-boy amidst the very tight job market.

Director:

Dan Eckman

Writers:

Dominic Dierkes, Dan Eckman

Stars:

Daniel Franks, Dominic Dierkes, John Grady

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Franks	...	Black Shadow
Dominic Dierkes	...	Edward / Samurai
John Grady	...	Mr. Jenkins
Lou Perez	...	Janitor Joe / Samurai
Gregory Burke	...	Mike / 'Bootstrap' Strapmire
Matt Sadewitz	...	Drew / Sidney Finnegan
Steve Stout	...	Samurai Cashier
Scott Severance	...	Black Shadow's Dad
Elizabeth Severance	...	Black Shadow's Mom
Jose Mojica	...	Cop #1
Seth Window	...	Cop #2 / Lead Samurai
Jean Hamaker	...	Shopper
Jeff Eckman	...	EMT #1 / Samurai
Dean Wunderly	...	EMT #2
Nick Gilbert	...	Samurai

Storyline

Black Shadow, a recently graduated ninja assassin, returns home from his training to begin his career; however, due to the tight job market, he is forced to take on a job as a stock-boy at the local grocery. Mike and Drew, two fraternity brothers, hop from convenience store to convenience store exploring the competitive side of the "beer run." And Janitor Joe goes to great extremes to prove to everyone at the grocery store that he can - in fact - be a "creepy janitor" as these three seemingly disparate story lines converge in a large-scale grocery store fiasco.

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Plot Keywords:

job | ninja | supermarket | employment | underage drinking | 

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Genres:

Short | Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2006 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Manchester, New Hampshire, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Last Minute Productions

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

User Reviews

More than the premise might suggest

I caught this at the DC Shorts festival last fall, and was pleasantly surprised to find that what I feared would be just a one-gag film (I could just picture the pitch: "Okay, so we've got a ninja, only he works at a convenience store. And he meets a bunch of other wacky characters. Hijinks ensue!") turned out to be surprisingly well plotted, with very well developed (if more than a bit over-the-top) characters (not necessarily deep, but definitely motivated), great comedic pacing, and some really fun performances. And yeah, there were enough gags to live up to the premise. Definitely worth seeking out at a festival screening -- and if it becomes available on DVD, I'll definitely try to pick it up.