Red Sands Drown the Dead: A Movie Review

U.S. soldiers in present-day Afghanistan unknowingly release a vengeful supernatural force that wages upon them in the darkness. From ancient legend the Afghani people believed there were beings on Earth far older than humans--the Djinn. The Djinn, according to myth, were made of smokeless fire and could take on any form they wished, but could be imprisoned in certain vessels. According to the legend the Djinn hated humans and most fled the Earth as humans grew to dominate it. Yet, a few remained imprisoned in vessels designed to contain them waiting to be freed (Internet).

The soldiers on routine patrol for insurgents came upon an ancient statue deep in the desert. They have no idea what they have found and one of them shoots the statue with his M-16 tearing it apart. Unfortunately, for this unit the statue seems to have been a vessel imprisoning a Djinn who decides to take vengence upon them (Internet).


Release Date: February 24, 2009.

Rating: Restricted for violent content, language and some sexual material.

Cast:Shane West, Leonard Roberts, Aldis Hodge, Theo Rossi, Noel Gugliemi, Callum Blue, Brendan Miller, and Mercedes Masöhn.

Director: Alex Turner.

Writer: Simon Barrett.

"Red Sands," is a straight-to-DVD venture from director Alex Turner that takes place in the deserts of Afghanistan with a small B-list cast. A total of eight characters take part in the film and Shane West as Jeff plays the central role. Each of the characters, within the film are given time to develop their characterizations while likely improvising some of their dialogue. Jokes about penguins sets up the common bond that each soldier has for each other and the camaraderie is evident in the acting. Several long shots of the deserts of Morocco, and Los Angeles substitute the landscapes of Afghanistan effectively and the rolling dust, while obviously CGI manages to convey the dryness of the environment. Several shots of the military clothed characters, interacting show long heat waves flowing off of the desert floor and each of the settings add believability to the film.

The plot and story involving a Djinn, which is an ancient Islamic supernatural force, in the film keeps the writing on the unlikely side of the spectrum, but the story manages to add a twist on the often formulaic revenge theme. After several military soldiers investigate and then destroy certain rustic elements, including an Islamic statue, the spirit of the Djinn is given free roam to take vengeance on these careless foes. Not leaving anything to obscurity, when a young woman enters the soldier's lives a climbing death toll points to the source of many of the murders and the effective use of green and red lighting contrast the austere, bright daylight shots. In addition, the excellent use of interspersed dream sequences highlight the viciousness of the spirit with the help of CGI. As characters shift back and forth from appearing as the Djinn and then as their own character a feeling of paranoia can be felt in the characters from viewing the film.

The low production budget, of the film did not allow for any A-class Hollywood actors and, unfortunately the acting within the film is slightly below average except for Shane West and J. K. Simmons who are both average in their roles. Only the joking between characters seems natural while other lines, that push the story along come across as somewhat awkward. For instance when a character says "Hands up, (Shane West)" the character just does not portray any authority or conviction in his dialogue. Few of the characters within the film seem to create the allusion of being in a military unit; however, the acting, while fairly poor does not take much away from a viewing of "Red Sands."

One feature within the "Red Sands," that actually stands out as exceptional is the interesting use of lighting and some of the directing techniques that director Alex Turner utilizes. Many shots use red lighting to symbolize the blood and death in the film while green lighting, often appearing at night manages to create an eerie atmosphere to the film that is in line with director Alex Turner's horrific vision. As well, one filming or developing technique that brightens the mountains in many outdoor shots gives the picture a surreal visual effect. Director Alex Turner pushes the visual medium to clever new heights with several different filming techniques including; medium to long shots of moving objects, moderate close-ups that shift to intensely close character shots, and the use of dream sequences to open up the visual possibilities within the film. Turner keeps the unbelievable story going by constantly shifting the height, and lens' of his desert shots. "Red Sands," with the films creative use of lighting and directing techniques makes this horror style film stand out visually.

"Red Sands," is slightly better in lighting and directing than other horror genre films; however the poor acting and slightly simple story might leave some viewer's wanting a little more. Alex Turner from "Dead Birds," fame continues to break convention while providing interesting visual, yet haunting pieces. See this one February 24 on DVD/Blu-ray and watch another one of Turner's stellar horror films "Dead Birds," in the meantime.

5.5 Dusty Skulls out of 10.

A trailer for "Red Sands," here (check the early introduction of CGI helicopters as an example of the small budget for the film, estimating under a million):

Red Sands Trailer

Sources:

Red Sands at IMDB

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