Review - Siege of the Dead (2010 - Dir. Marvin Kren)

It's getting close to the end of our Year of the Dead and Doccortex couldn't resist getting in on the action. So here we go with his review of Siege of the Dead (aka Rammbock) - evlkeith. 

Never has a DVD cover been less representative of its film than the sprawling, epic image of end of the world carnage on Siege of the Dead. This is not a widescreen or panoramic story at all. It's a claustrophobic, microscopic and insular view of the Zombocalypse set almost completely in a single block of flats. That's not to say it's a bad film, but if you're expecting something akin to the Dawn of the Dead remake you've got another thing coming.

The second surprise is that it's a German take on the genre. If you're interested in what it would be like to be trapped in a grotty Berlin housing block with zombies running amok then that's basically what Siege of the Dead provides for you. Apart from the fact that the characters speak in German (which is a bit of a dead give away) you'd never know this was a German production; no beer festivals, lederhosen, sausage or hardcore techno. But don't this lack of German goodness put you off, this is a quirky, funny and original film, which was probably made on a shoestring budget.

It's ultimately a love story as our hero Michael visits his former girlfriend in an attempt to woo her back into his arms. He's just a tad obsessed with her, to the point where he almost doesn't notice the homicidal zombie horde lurking in the courtyard below. To be honest you can see why she dumped him and it's difficult to see how he's survived in more mundane times. At the end of the world he sleeps in her furry bear suit, worries about broken forks and weeing in the sink.

It all progresses in predictable fashion and ticks all the zombie checklist buttons, but never quite has you on the edge of your seat. The ending is funny, preposterous and satisfying. It's another lukewarm review for a film that probably deserves better considering the budgetary restrictions, but at the end of the day it's standard issue rather than anything particularly out of the ordinary. Promising performance but ultimately it's mid-table obscurity.

5/10
Doccortex



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