Reviews
Assault on Precinct 13 (2005)
Assault on Precinct 13USA/France 2005
Director: Jean-François Richet
This remake of John Carpenter’s 1976 film would’ve had to do something very special in order to come close to the innovation and originality of its source material. Unsurprisingly, the new version is absolutely average and ultimately empty.
Following the pattern set by the recent Dawn of the Dead remake, producers chose an up-and-coming director to helm a cult classic re-imagining. However, unlike Dawn, this director fails miserably.
The film begins promisingly, with an interesting drug sting, but quickly devolves into cliché and formula. The cast, with talented actors such as Laurence Fishburne and Gabriel Byrne, is wasted on a weak script. Ethan Hawke tries to act haunted and tortured but simply comes off as whinging. The only interesting performance comes from John Leguizamo as a strung-out, conspiracy-spouting junkie (an albeit familiar character). Laurence Fishburne seems lost, essentially playing an urban Morpheus. If he isn’t careful he’ll slide into Jack Nicholson territory, simply playing himself in role after role.
The visual style of the film is too obvious, too flashy. Some of the camerawork used is disorienting and unnecessary, including an expensive CGI zoom out that draws far too much attention to itself. There is one interesting sequence however, though it’s far too short: a quick three-shot track right, showing the criminals paired off with the cops.
The inclusion of hard motives and complex motivations ironically seems to detract from the film. The original version was so interesting because of the seemingly random nature of the siege, almost as if it were a group of mindless animals attacking rather than a vicious gang. Normally adding deeper characterisations enhances a film, but here it seems forced and out of place. Is this film a drama or an action/thriller? The director doesn’t seem to know.
Assault on Precinct 13 had great potential, but ultimately became just another muddled actioner from Hollywood.
Colin Le SueurBio-Zombie (1998)
Bio-Zombie (aka Sun faa sau si)Hong Kong 1998
Director: Wilson Yip
Language: Cantonese
For the most part, nobody does zombie movies like the Americans. Sure, Lucio Fulci gave us some good Italian in the 1970s/80s and Edgar Wright’s Shaun of the Dead showed that the British know the genre well, but American George Romero is the undisputed king of zombies: always has been, always will be. That said, Bio Zombie from Hong Kong is a helluva lot of fun, even if heavily influenced by Romero’s earlier films. This is a film that wears its references openly. Half Dawn of the Dead, half House of the Dead videogame (which the characters play in the movie), Bio-Zombie at some points transforms into a live videogame, with powerups and on-screen displays.
Bio-Zombie is too funny to be straight horror. Like similar zombie comedies (such as Return of the Living Dead, Braindead, and the afore-mentioned Shaun of the Dead), the emphasis is clearly on the comedy rather than the horror. In fact, the zombies sometimes seem almost an afterthought, as if they wandered into a zany comedy.
Though very low-budget (one of the symptoms of the zombie infection seems to be a covering in flour, for instance), the effects are pretty good and the film itself is well-made, with quick editing and interesting camera angles. The acting is good as well, for the most part; the film even manages to garner sympathy for an obsessed stalker zombie, a tough task in any movie.
Bio-Zombie is a fun distraction, clever and with some good laughs. Though not a classic, it’s worth a look for fans of the genres, both zombie and Hong Kong cinema.
Colin Le SueurBlack Christmas (2006)
Black ChristmasCanada/USA 2006
Director: Glen Morgan
I’ve got to say, up front, that I’m a big fan of the original Black Christmas from 1974, a creepy, smart slasher film way ahead of its time. When I heard Wong/Morgan (from the Final Destination film series and, farther back, the X-Files and Millennium TV series) were helming the remake, I thought it had potential to be a decent updating of a now-classic though little-known film. Unfortunately, Black Christmas 2006 isn’t nearly as effective as the original and comes off as more than a little strange.
Part of the power and tension of the original film is that you never see the killer… at all. One of the first slasher films to employ the POV device (where you see through the killer’s eyes), Black Christmas 1974 was frightening and decidedly voyeuristic. With the remake, director Morgan discards that device and makes the killer a fully-realised onscreen character (even fleshing out his background and tragic family history). This change thwarts the tone of the original, further separating the audience from the killer’s perspective. Ironically, even through making the killer a more rounded, three-dimensional character (to a certain extent), Black Christmas 2006 is a less realistic film than the original. Perhaps the studio felt that audiences in 2006 wouldn’t accept a POV killer rather than an onscreen one, or perhaps Morgan thought he could bring something new to the story. Unfortunately, this choice damages the tone of the film and helps to further weaken the creepy atmosphere.
There’s no shortage of shock and gore in Black Christmas (no surprise the trailer for Hostel Part 2 was screened beforehand). I was honestly surprised by the amount of visceral and graphic violence in the film (pleasantly surprised, as I’m a bit of a gorehound). This film isn’t afraid to be ruthless (something refreshing in the Hollywood horror genre) and many people will squirm uncomfortably in their seats through certain sequences. This gore factor is strangely contrasted with an almost camp edge to the script and storyline. The dichotomy is a little weird and I can honestly see Black Christmas becoming a minor cult film in the near future. Even with the camp elements, there are some genuinely creepy moments that will stay with you after you leave the cinema.
The acting is a little ‘all over the place.’ Some standouts are Kristen Cloke (a much underrated character actress) and Andrea Martin (one of the stars of the original, here playing the house mom lush). However, most of the other actresses are interchangeable and forgettable (as in most teen slasher pics).
Though an interesting update of the original film, I can’t totally recommend Black Christmas. I think it’s a film I’ll like more on repeated viewings, but other people won’t be so forgiving. The muddled tone, questionable acting and often disturbing content make the 2006 version of Black Christmas very strange indeed. In any case, I’d recommend you seek out the original version for a creepier experience and the remake if you like your horror a little more camp.
Colin Le SueurBraindead (1992)
Braindead (aka Dead Alive)New Zealand 1992
Director: Peter Jackson
If seeing a film widely known as ‘the goriest ever made’ interests you, keep reading. Part Psycho, part Evil Dead, part farce, Peter Jackson’s Braindead (1992), is an amazingly imaginative and supremely disgusting gorehound’s dream.
Shot in New Zealand on a low budget almost a decade before Lord of the Rings, this horror comedy opens with a dismemberment and decapitation scene and only gets bloodier from there.
Lionel’s a good lad, burdened with an overbearing mother Norman Bates would run screaming from. But it seems that his mum’s been exposed to the bite of a Sumatran rat monkey, which we all know carries the dreaded zombie virus. Soon Lionel’s got quite a handful to take care of, hiding a group of flesh-eating zombies in his basement, a menagerie that includes a rotting priest, his undead lover and their rambunctious zombie baby. And that’s when things get weird.
It seems hard to believe Peter Jackson could go from directing this amazing piece of cult filmmaking to the sweeping and epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy. If there’s one thing that translates from this film to the massively successful trilogy, it’s a love of filmmaking and attention to detail. Even on such a low budget and dealing with a ridiculous plot, Jackson manages to craft an excellent and thought-provoking film.
This film also boasts some of the most memorable sequences in ‘90s horror films. From the amazing Father McGruder (‘I kick arse for the Lord!’) to the infamous five minute ‘lawnmower sequence,’ Braindead is not a film easily forgotten.
Strangely enough, the ‘unrated’ North American release of Braindead, called Dead Alive, is less gruesome than the UK and New Zealand releases. I had never seen the full, uncut version of Braindead until coming to England, instead suffering through the ‘edited’ Canadian release. Unfortunately, the Region 2 DVD print I’ve found is of a much poorer quality than even my NTSC VHS version; here’s hoping there’ll be a complete DVD re-release of Braindead, with restored audio and video and a nice extras package.
So, upon reading this, should you still find yourself debating whether or not to see Braindead, let me offer some advice:
Go see it. Not only can you tell your friends you’ve seen the bloodiest movie ever made, you’ll have a helluva good time watching Braindead.
That is, assuming you can stomach it.
(Originally written in 2004.)
Colin Le Sueur