The Dead and Enjoying the Undead Scenery: A Movie Review

Directors/writers: Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford.

The Dead is a zombie thriller filmed in Burkina, Faso from brothers Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford. Released in the United Kingdom in September and to show in America October 7th, The Dead is a self-described "zombie road trip" movie. So, there is plenty of time spent in a broken down pickup as charcters Lt. Brian Murphy (Rob Freeman) and Stg Daniel Dembele (Prince David Oseia) cross the African continent in search of safety. The great cinematography made this reviewer wonder if this is the first African shot zombie film. No others come to mind and The Dead is unique in landscape, but not in methodology. The shamblers propel the story forward like George A. Romero's undead in Night of the Living Dead, while the film keeps the tension up by offering death on every corner.

Murphy and Dembele meet up in an arid desert. Murphy crashed in a plane and Dembele deserted his army unit. Both are now heading north to a safe haven. Along the way they run over zombies, machete others, while talking about their family or the desperate situation. Of significance, Dembele is black and Murphy is white. Yet, skin colours do not matter when you are on the run, or do they? The Dead offers a late message of cross-culturalization, or the unity of man when faced with survival. But this film is more reminiscent of a late '80s films, where messages were also secondary. There is very little dialogue here and the emphasis is placed on the compelling action.

There really is only a flash of tense dialogue in the first 30 minutes of the film. Otherwise, Murphy is running from locale to locale, as the undead surround him. With the introduction of Dembele, there is more conversation and this film begins to feel like a buddy movie. There is much teamwork between Murphy and Dembele, as they search abandoned locations for a way out of a zombified Africa. Teamwork only goes so far, however, when your buddy is being mawed on by a creepy looking zombie.

The film then returns to how it began, with Murphy on the run, again. Thankfully, the African sunsets and desert landscapes create eye appeal, while the story is bare bones: " [there is] a lack of an adequate story" (UHM). There is really not much out of the travelling from one point to another. There are distractions along the way e.g. a baby in need of rescue, or a village in need of protection. Yet, the Ford brothers do not really step out of this "zombie road trip" movie, while relying on the gorgeous scenery to keep things interesting.

This film will play in Los Angeles, New York City, Boston and other cities October 7th and this zombie film fan would recommend you have a look. Just go in with low expectations, with The Dead sometimes slow in pacing especially in the finale. The Fords follow the classic zombie tales of old and if you are a fan of this style, then you will enjoy this film. As with most buddy films, see this one with a friend. Your significant other might be tempted to walk away from all the violence and mayhem.

Story/plot: 6.5 (a little weak here, uncomplex).
Directing techniques/ interpretation: 7 (long shots, medium shots, utilization of scenery).

Overall: 6.75 out of 10.

Visit the film's website for more info' and theatre showings:

The Dead's Official Website

Another review of this title at Upcoming Horror Movies (Frightmaster):

The Dead Reviewed at the UHM

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Posted in: 2011,2011 release,africa,howard j. ford,movie review,the dead,zombie,zombie apocalypse,zombies