Movies That I Haven’t Seen But Should Have - Part 1: Zombies

There are a lot of movies I’m ashamed to admit I’ve never seen. But rather than pretend I’ve seen them or change the subject when they’re mentioned, I’ve decided to share them with you. These films that are cult classics or masterpieces that I have missed or avoided, I am sitting down to review. So let’s start with the father of all zombie movies: Night Of The Living Dead.

Barbara (Judith O'Dea) and Johnny (Russell Streiner) travel across the country in order to put a wreath on their father’s grave. The graveyard gives Barbara the creeps and Johnny pokes fun at her for this. ‘They’re gonna get ya!’ He laughs gesturing to a man stumbling towards them. Barbara goes to apologise to the man but he tries to attack her. Johnny jumps in to protect her sister and she runs. She is chased by the mysterious man until she finds a house. She hides away in the house and her sanity slowly leaves her. Another person, Ben (Duane Jones), finds the house and begins to board up every window and door to make himself and Barbara safe. The house slowly becomes surrounded by people who, as the television will tell Ben and Barbara, are the animated corpses of the unburied dead. Ben takes charge of the house, much to the disapproval Mr Cooper (Karl Hardman), who was hiding in the cellar with his four others.

Duane Jones was actually related to Indiana Jones.

Well, this is the one that really started it all. The father of all zombie movies. The part of Ben, the protagonist, was given to Duane Jones simply because he was the best actor, his race was completely ignored. And rightly so. Duane Jones is brilliant. In a movie of extremely low budget special effects that look as cheap as they are, Duane Jones stands out above everyone else. He's the strongest character but his subtle vulnerability is wonderfully shown through angry outbursts and moments of quiet. Karl Hardman was also brilliant and an ideal confrontational partner for Duane Jones' Ben. Their scenes together played out better than most of the scenes in the movie.  Judith O'Dea also manages to pull off catatonic rather well. (Disturbingly well, perhaps?) She shivers and shakes with just the right amount of understanding of the situation.

'Say hello to my little friend.'

What really makes this film stand out for me is all behind the scenes. The work that went into it. George A. Romero and his team started with an idea and no money. Their investors were given roles in the movie. Karl Hardman (One of the $300 investors) was not only given a role, but also helped with make up, sound effects and took the still photos for the credits. The team won the sound mixing equipment in a game of chess with one of the investors. When they finished the movie, they threw it in the trunk of a car and drove to New York to try and get it played. Made for only $114,000 it has made over $30million worldwide. It went into the public domain after there was an issue with the copyright and now anyone can distribute it. This really is proof that an idea, combined with determination, can become something incredible.

I really enjoyed this movie. Yes, it is very cheap and there are some really cheesy moments. But one has to remember that the movie was shot in the 60s for a micro-budget. And yet, despite all this, the second it finished, all I wanted to do was watch it again. There's something very captivating about it. A good watch.

Best Bit? There will never be any moment better in a zombie movie than when the zombies start outnumbering the people fighting them. The fear, the panic, the strength, the teamwork (or lack of it) I find it all fascinating. 

Gang Fight.

Today we delve into the gritty, grimy world of the gang land. It's a movie that, I assume, not many of you have seen or even heard of. I hadn't until a few days ago when it was recommended to me by a friend (@JLHoyte on Twitter if you want to follow him, he's very funny) The movie was made in 1979 and is the very definition of a Cult Movie. This is The Warriors.

The premise is an extremely simple one. All the gangs of New York send nine representatives to a huge gang gathering in The Bronx hosted by Cyrus (Roger Hill), the leader of the largest gang in New York. Cyrus proposes that all the gangs unite and take over the city as they outnumber the cops. However, despite most of the gangs seeming to 'dig it', Luther (David Patrick Kelley), leader of the Rogues, assassinates Cyrus while no one is looking. Unfortunately for him, Fox (Thomas G. Waites), the scout for The Warriors, witnesses the whole thing. Luther tries to kill him too but the police have secretly surrounded the gathering and blind the gangs with spotlights. Chaos erupts and the gangs flee. Luther realises that he'll have to stop The Warriors before they reveal who shot Cyrus and so he frames Cleon (Dorsey Wright), leader of The Warriors. Cyrus' gang then want all of The Warriors in their grasp. This leaves The Warriors in the very difficult situation of getting back to their territory in Coney Island from The Bronx without getting killed by every gang and cop on the way.

There's a moment you know you're fucked.

There is something extremely lovable about this movie. There are some glimpses of great acting, particularly from Roger Hill as Cyrus and James Remar as Ajax, one of The Warriors. Hill is wonderful. His spell binding speech is some of the first dialogue in the movie and it pulls you in with every word. It also invites you to use his catch phrase, CAN YOU DIG IT. Remar is the slightly sociopathic member of The Warriors. Violence, rape, these are his games. He plays the part with such conviction that you really would not want to meet him down a dark alley at night. The final mention for acting, and the best acting in the movie, goes to David Patrick Kelley, who plays Luther. Luther is a rare type of character. Similar to the likes of The Joker or Alex DeLarge, he simply does things that he feels like. Kelley puts a raw, unsettled nature into his character which makes him generally disturbing. Especially his part in the climatic scene. Is really creepy and really well acted.

'Stop being such a whiny beach.'

The best thing about this movie is by far its style. It is slightly surreal in its portrayal of gangs. Rather than the low trouser wearing, gun wielding, ghetto raised gangsters or Italian mob families that we are so accustomed to, these gangs all have a distinctive, and often quirky, 'mark.' Something that distinguishes them as a gang. This goes from vests, all the way to clown baseball players. The location, style and way of shooting looks like it may well be inspired by A Clockwork Orange but it does work to great effect. My main issue with this movie is it does seem very dated now. While it is constantly tense, the language, clothing and general attitudes are things of the past. It is definitely from the 'funk' era. It also contains plenty of mediocre acting as well as the good acting. A very generic score and way too often I found myself unable to tell characters apart. 

This does not bring the movie down as a whole. The fight seems, while sometimes are a bit messy, are really fun to watch and you really feel for The Warriors in all this bad luck. It is a fun film that is full of twists and turned that will keep you entertained for 90 minutes. You will hold your breath and you will be shocked. Can you dig it?

Best bit? Personally, I really enjoyed the fight scenes in the field with baseball clowns (The Baseball Furies) and in the bathroom with roller skaters (The Punks).