Tags:
Film: The Dead
Year: 2010
Director: Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford
Writer: Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford
Starring: Rob Freeman, Prince David Oseia and David Dontoh
Review:
This film begins with a man walking across a desert with an AK-47, he is played by Rob Freeman. He is in the military as a flight mechanic. He comes up on what is one of the living dead. This one walks funny and we see that it has a broken leg; it doesn’t phase it at all though. He walks on by, killing the next one he comes too and robbing his pockets.
The film then goes back to the beginning, where Freeman is on an airplane. We see that there are problems and the plane crashes. He wakes up on the beach, nearby is another soldier with zombies coming at them. He snaps into action, opening up a crate and getting a gun. He takes care of the attacking dead.
We also see a village being attacked at night. There is a military presence there, but they cannot stop the attack. We see a mother holding her child. The door to their home is busted in and a zombie attacks her while her son runs away. He makes it to the military vehicle as it leaves.
His father, played by Prince David Oseia, returns to his village and finds his wife. His journey for his son begins now.
Freeman comes up on a few buildings where there is a truck on blocks. He finds some fuel and fixes it, knowing that he needs it to cross the barren landscape as well as keep himself safe from the dead. After a close call, he gets it rolling.
As he goes, it becomes stuck in some sand and he is almost eaten alive trying to free it, being saved by Oseia. They decide to travel together, Freeman looking for a way back to America; Oseia for his son who he thinks is safe in the north. Can they get what they’re looking for?
This is one of the best zombie films I have ever seen. There is a perfect amount of action and fear from what they can’t see to keep it going. The story isn’t complex, but their drive to be with their family kept me inspired. The realism is another thing that made me really like this one as well, as the zombies are slow-moving.
There is also a small issue of race. Oseia is angry at Americans because they send help, until they really need it. Freeman lets him know of his plan, but since they both need each other, they do work together. Oseia has a point, but Freeman tells him he isn’t there to change his point of view. Seeing how all the Africans aid them and how they need to come together, putting aside tribal difference is pretty uplifting.
I would recommend this one. It is well-made, the story as I said isn’t complex, but it doesn’t need to be. The zombies look good, the action scenes are spaced and they do have enough interaction to keep it going. The acting is solid, so I would say with all of this together makes it worth a viewing.
My Rating: 8 out of 10