The Dead
Year: 2012
Directors: Howard J. Ford, Jon Ford
Stars: Rob Freeman, Prince David Osei, David Dontoh
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 106 mins.
When going into this film, I didn’t know what to expect from this film considering that this is a zombie movie wasn’t shot in Europe or in this country. There’s also the fact that the two main characters in the film sound like they came straight out of a war movie. That was my thinking going into this.
“The Dead” is the first zombie road movie to be shot entirely on location in Africa. The film follows American Air Force Engineer Lieutenant Brian Murphy, who is the only one to survives a horrifying plane crash, after trying to escape the zombie plagued Africa. He is forced to outwit and outrun the hoards of zombies that are after him. Along the way, Murphy meets Sergeant Daniel Dembele, an African soldier whose village is torn apart and his son is uncounted for. He decides to go with him to search for a refugee camp, where Dembele’s lost son might be. The two embark on a trip through the incredible sights of Africa, as the whole country succumbs to the virus.
When watching and reviewing horror films, I usually don’t go into a horror film expecting it to be serious on the level of a dramatic film that the story feels like your watching a different genre film. It’s also very rare that you see a horror film that both pleases you, as a horror fan and a fan of great cinema. “The Dead” is one of those films that works on both levels.
One of the reasons that it works, the way that the direction was handled by Howard J Ford and Jon Ford. The direction here was very good, especially Jon Ford‘s handling of the film‘s cinematography. The cinematography was very good, as he beautifully captures the African scenery amidst of the zombie outbreak. Even though the tone of the film is very gloomy and dark, the scenery never ruins the tone of the film. It helps keep your interest, considering that most of the first act contains little dialogue.
The other thing that the brothers also do very well in their direction, they keep the action moving. By doing that, it didn‘t make the main characters safe and your not bored on their road trip through the ruins. This was definitely a hard task considering that the zombies were old school with the way they walk, but they made those scenes interesting and essential to the story. That’s what makes all the action work.
Jon and Howard J Ford also do a very good job handling the film’s screenplay. I liked, the fact that this was a very different kind of zombie movie. One of the things that makes this film different from other zombie movies, you don’t see many characters in the film. In fact, this film has only two main characters and a couple of minor characters. It allows time to focus more on the main plotline and the main characters fight for survival. This was very bold, but it pays off.
The other thing that this screenplay does very well, you have a emotion reaction to the scenes where their isn’t any dialogue. You usually don’t see that in zombie films, as the majority of them focuses on a group of kids trying to escape the zombies. Whether the zombies are chasing the main character or the main character doing something heartbreaking, you get some sort of reaction that you don’t get in many zombie films. It’s done, because the Ford brothers do a very good job giving back-story to the two main characters. It allows you to get invested with these characters amidst the chaos That’s what separates this film from most zombie film out there.
I highly suggest that you check this zombie film out, as this is the best zombie film that I’ve seen “28 Days Later”. “The Dead” is filled with a great story that you don’t often see out of this subgenre.
Review Rating: Five Stars
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