Claim: Johnny Mnemonic is a story in a visual medium.

Johnny Mnemonic is a 1995 Canadian-American cyberpunk action thriller film directed by Robert Longo in his directorial debut . The film stars Keanu Reeves and Dolph Lundgren . The film is based on the story of the same name by William Gibson . Keanu Reeves plays the title character , a man with a cybernetic brain implant designed to store information . The film portrays Gibson 's dystopian view of the future with the world dominated by megacorporations and with strong East Asian influences . This was Dolph Lundgren 's last theatrically released film until 2010 's The Expendables .   The film was shot on location in Canada , with Toronto and Montreal filling in for the film 's Newark and Beijing settings . A number of local sites , including Toronto 's Union Station and Montreal 's skyline and Jacques Cartier Bridge , feature prominently .   The film premiered in Japan on April 15 , 1995 , in a longer version -LRB- 103 mins -RRB- that is closer to the director 's cut , featuring a score by Mychael Danna and different editing . The film was released in the United States on May 26 , 1995 .