Filmmakers Howard J. Ford and Jonathan Ford's new horror flick “The Dead” is unlike any zombie movie you have seen before.
In fact, it may be one of the best zombie movies of all time. That is because it essentially uses the genre to say something significant about not only survival but also the universal experiences of loneliness and isolation. Best of all, the Ford brothers use said experiences to take viewers on a journey that feels real, regardless of where they stand on the topic of the living dead.
In “The Dead,” which is now available on Blu-ray and DVD at retail stores and rental outlets throughout the Valley, Rob Freeman plays Lt. Brian Murphy, the sole survivor of crashed flight out of a war-torn Africa where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living. On the run in a hostile and inhospitable parched landscape, Murphy has to use his wits and ingenuity if he is to get home alive to his family.
When he crosses paths with local solider Daniel Dembele (Prince David Osei), a man frantically searching for his son, they join forces. Two desperate men from two very different cultures fight side-by-side to survive across the incredible vistas of Africa as the world around them succumbs to the deadliest of viruses.
There is very little dialogue in “The Dead,” as its two leads spend the majority of the movie apart from one another. However, even when they come together, there is not only a language barrier that prevents them from engaging in idle chit-chat but the Ford brothers keenly acknowledge the fact that these two people really would not have much to say to each other given their unique circumstances.
Therefore, the filmmakers instead use the environment's unusual characteristics and Freeman's character's exploration of said characteristics to tell their story. Moreover, “The Dead” is not so much a straight-forward tale as it is a series of feelings that are absorbed by the viewer. And that is where the movie excels the most – the manner in which it transports the viewer.
The feelings are not exclusive to the situation, either. The Ford brothers merely use said situation as a means to thoroughly examine the aforementioned themes of loneliness and isolation. What better place to shine a light on the effects of those things than a war-torn Africa where the dead are returning to life and attacking the living?
“The Dead” (R – 105 minutes) is now available on Blu-ray and DVD at retail stores and rental outlets throughout the Valley.
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