Being a huge fan of the Spierig Brothers’ previous film UNDEAD, I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for the vampire genre. In their previous film they rewrote everything we know about the zombie genre and turned it on its head and I had faith that they were going to do the same thing for the vampire genre (a genre I personally loathe). I was not disappointed!
In their new film DAYBREAKERS a plague has turned most of the populace into vampires and those who have not been turned hide in fear of becoming a victim of blood farming by a nefarious corporation run by Charles Bromley (Sam Neil). Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) who loathes his existence as a vampire works for Bromley trying to find a synthetic blood substitute because the human population is almost extinct and the corporation’s current blood supply will not last them more than a month. Just when Edward believes that there is no more hope for their kind in steps Elvis (Willem Dafoe) who was once a vampire but through happenstance has discovered a cure for vampirism and a hope for humanity. With Edward’s help Elvis and what’s left of the human resistance hope to cultivate this cure before time runs out and all of humanity is extinct.
Like UNDEAD, DAYBREAKERS is not only a horror film but an action film as well. The Spierig Bros. have outdone themselves this time as this film is a huge step up from their zombie film in terms not only of production values but the caliber of actors and action. DAYBREAKERS is a grandiose film in terms of low budget futuristic films and they don’t skimp out on the horror either (what their fans really want to see) as there is plenty of the red stuff to go around. Everyone is on their “A” game in this film
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I was a little skeptical about the film. The last futuristic vampire film was the abysmal ULTRAVIOLET so you can probably guess why I was apprehensive about this film despite the high caliber talent on display, but the Speirig Bros. present such a fully realized world with DAYBREAKERS that you can’t help but take notice. It’s a shame that this film sat on the studio shelf for a couple years before finally being released (perhaps because of the popularity of vampires after the two TWILIGHT films) but it was well worth the wait as this film is truly a definition of good things to come not only for the Speirig Bros. but for the vampire genre as well.
CITY GARDEN - "The Old Woman & The Park"
On the set of the short film "A Gift"
Showing posts with label Willem Dafoe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Willem Dafoe. Show all posts
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Willem Dafoe in his New Film ANAMORPH
This new psychological detective film is in the same vein as David Fincher’s S7VEN and even though it may echo the mood and atmosphere of that film ANAMORPH is its own animal and a welcomed addition to the serial killer genre. In the film Willem Dafoe plays Stan, a detective over the hill and just buying his time till his pension kicks in. He has been inactive for five years teaching murder psychology to a new generation of students and detectives. He’s an obsessive compulsive who hasn’t been the same since he blamed himself for the murder of a innocent girl by the serial killer “Uncle Eddie” and whose subsequent capture and murder lead to his being promoted to detective.
Now a new series of murders have started and Stan is asked to partner up with Detective Carl Uffner (Scott Speedman), himself just recently promoted to detective. Uffner is determined to believe that the new murders are done by a copycat yet Stan slowly begins to believe that the new and more elaborate murders may be by Uncle Eddie whom he thought was dead. As he gets closer to discovering who the killer is the killer is getting closer to him implementing him into each of the next murders.
Tom Phelan and Henry Miller’s (who also directed the film) screenplay is a slow and smart thriller that delves deep into the psychosis of Defoe’s “broken” character. This is complimented by the lengths to which the killer will go to impress the detective with his elaborate crimes. The “anamorph” of the title refers to an art style “anamorphosis” in which a painting technique manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas. This is the technique by which the killer poses his “masterpieces” and is definitely well worth the ticket admission alone.
Miller does a capable job as director relying more on his actors then on directorial flare and Defoe is more then capable to take the lead as he gives a commendable performance as the tortured yet dedicated and fragile detective. One of the drawbacks to the film is the fact that neither Speedman nor Clea DuVall are given much to work with as Speedman and Defoe rarely work together as their characters clash at every turn. DuVall is given even less as she is a character whom Stan befriends after feeling guilty for letting her best friend die. They are kindred spirits whose paths are not adequately worked into the script therefore her plight with the serial killer at the end is kind of anti-climatic. Peter Stormare, as usual, steals every scene he is in and makes for one hell of a friend and business associate to the dissociated Stan.
Although ANAMORPH does not have the style and flare of S7VEN there is no denying that the film still is a very good addition to the serial killer genre especially considering what else has come out this year so far.
Now a new series of murders have started and Stan is asked to partner up with Detective Carl Uffner (Scott Speedman), himself just recently promoted to detective. Uffner is determined to believe that the new murders are done by a copycat yet Stan slowly begins to believe that the new and more elaborate murders may be by Uncle Eddie whom he thought was dead. As he gets closer to discovering who the killer is the killer is getting closer to him implementing him into each of the next murders.
Tom Phelan and Henry Miller’s (who also directed the film) screenplay is a slow and smart thriller that delves deep into the psychosis of Defoe’s “broken” character. This is complimented by the lengths to which the killer will go to impress the detective with his elaborate crimes. The “anamorph” of the title refers to an art style “anamorphosis” in which a painting technique manipulates the laws of perspective to create two competing images on a single canvas. This is the technique by which the killer poses his “masterpieces” and is definitely well worth the ticket admission alone.
Miller does a capable job as director relying more on his actors then on directorial flare and Defoe is more then capable to take the lead as he gives a commendable performance as the tortured yet dedicated and fragile detective. One of the drawbacks to the film is the fact that neither Speedman nor Clea DuVall are given much to work with as Speedman and Defoe rarely work together as their characters clash at every turn. DuVall is given even less as she is a character whom Stan befriends after feeling guilty for letting her best friend die. They are kindred spirits whose paths are not adequately worked into the script therefore her plight with the serial killer at the end is kind of anti-climatic. Peter Stormare, as usual, steals every scene he is in and makes for one hell of a friend and business associate to the dissociated Stan.
Although ANAMORPH does not have the style and flare of S7VEN there is no denying that the film still is a very good addition to the serial killer genre especially considering what else has come out this year so far.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
