By Kim Morgan
June 30, 2005
Even the poster made me excited...
With the last few years’s re-invigoration of the zombie film (28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil I and II) it seemed about time that the man who inspired it all—George A. Romero—would place himself back in the bloody fray.
Which makes perfect sense since Romero, as usual, has something to say.
The director who crafted the revolutionary Night of the Living Dead in 1968, the brilliant cult classic Dawn of the Dead in 1978 and the uneven but powerful Day of the Dead in 1985 always laced the blood and guts with a social message. To put his myriad preoccupations simply, Romero’s tackled civil rights issues, soul-sucking consumerism, racism and the institutionalized oppression placed on society through governing structures or our own smarmy selves. Because his pictures concern the darker, soulless aspects of human behavior, they all hold up as insightful documents of real-life nightmares. And on the entertainment level, they happen to be morbidly funny, exceptionally inventive and just plain scary.
Which is why I’m upset to say (indeed, feeling guilty—I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the original Dawn of the Dead) that his newest addition, Land of the Dead plays, in spite of some “masterpiece” attached reviews, slightly disappointing. All the goods are here—a definite social message, alienating urban landscape (although, shot in Canada, Pittsburgh it aint) and, of course, gore galore but this time the enterprise is weakened by a lack of creativity and the loss of that extra punch to the gut so viscerally potent in his other films. Though certainly not a bad film, Land all too often feels like a slickly made studio offering with less juice and verve than Romero’s prior lower budget ventures. Perhaps I’m holding Romero to a higher standard, but aside from some cheeky gore, gone are the shock moments of little girls cutting up their mothers (in Night of the Living Dead which still comes off horrifying) or that overwhelming feeling of, well there’s no better way to put it— we’re all effed.
Here, the “walkers” have grown in both numbers and hunger—they desire more than mere flesh. With black (Romero never loses the race angle) gas station attendant leader Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), their oppressed legion are coming to reclaim lives they once led, albeit in zombie form and with the use of firearms. It’s an easy allegory, their plight—because as the walkers mobilize, fat cats (who say things like “we do not negotiate with terrorists”—which was funny) live in almost-literal ivory towers. Here, it’s a complex called Fiddler’s Green (which looks much like David Cronenberg’s| complex living in Shivers) where the all-powerful CEO Kaufman (a great, hammy Dennis Hopper chomping the scenery) resides. Meanwhile, the rest of the lumpen masses live in wretched poverty or enlist as mercenaries, the film’s main protagonists—nice guy Riley (Simon Baker) and his second, Cholo (John Leguizamo)—who’ll have to deal with just what their armored vehicle has emblazoned on its side “Dead Reckoning.” Or rather, dead and alive reckoning—to quote Twisted Sister, the lower classes have reached a fever pitch of “we’re not gonna take it.”
But it’s not enough. Though there’s some terrific aspects to Romero’s fourth vision of the undead— including a knock-out sequence where the walkers rise, Apocalypse Now style, out of a river, a nice performance by the criminally underused Leguizamo and a uniquely tough/vulnerable Asia Argento, its not enough to qualify as a masterpiece--which I wanted (and maybe that's not fair of me).
But dammit! Even the ending feels underwhelming and (gasp!) too sweet for Romero (who, it should be noted, has made some remarkable films outside the zombie genre—including the unsettling vampire film Martin). The unique touches are still evident, as is the current dissection/evisceration of American politics, but it’s quite possible the pioneer was given too much to play with. Though Romero deserves all kudos for his glorious, sometimes under-appreciated career, like the messages of all his zombie pictures, he may have needed just a little more hunger to horrifyingly and beautifully stick it to the man.
Check out Kim Morgan this Friday and Sunday on AMC's The Movie Club with John Ridley where she agonizes over not LOVING this film. Also on board are discussions/dissections of the film Rebound and the eagerly anticipated War of the Worlds. Added bonus! An interview with Billy Bob Thornton. Watch this Friday, July 1 at 11 PM and Sunday morning, July 3 at 10:30 AM.
