Johnny Mnemonic Director Robert Longo Had To Learn Filmmaking On The Fly

There are other strange goings-on in the cyberpunk future of “Johnny Mnemonic” as well. In one scene, Johnny psychically bonds with a cyborg dolphin. Vicious gangsters roam the streets with laser garrote wire that can remove heads in an instant. Ice-T, Takeshi Kitano, Udo Kier, and Henry Rollins all appear in supporting roles. Dina Meyer plays a cybernetically enhanced bodyguard who belongs to a cult-like Messianic cult of technology-averse anarchists calling themselves Lo-Teks. “Johnny Mnemonic” is all very colorful and kooky. It did not get good reviews. 

Longo had come from the world of high art, having already been known as a sculptor and photographer. He came to directing via the world of music videos, having made the videos for New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and R.E.M.’s “The One I Love.” He moved into scripted entertainment with a 1992 episode of “Tales from the Crypt,” and then into feature films with “Johnny Mnemonic.” In a 1995 interview with Wired, Longo talked about how he still considered himself a directing neophyte at the time, and how he felt like he had to fake it until he made it. He said: 

“There’s a Kurt Vonnegut quote I like, something about when you pretend to be someone long enough, one day you’ll be that person. I was hoping that’d be true of this experience. ‘Cause all of a sudden I’m directing a movie and quietly going, Wait a minute, I really don’t know how to do this! Holy s***, where do we put these cameras? It’s like waking up out of a dream and realizing you’re riding a bike without any handlebars. Like, f***! I gotta keep my balance! I was going totally by instinct. That was all I could do to keep my sanity.”