Deadland (2009)

Fantastic!

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I'm not sure the director, writers, actors, and crew really knew what they were trying to pull off here. thumbs up to the DP for a different over all look and feel, but its not original enough to separate it from other post apocalyptic films. this was little more then a "The Road" clone shot for thousands of dollars cheaper. the dry or highly overacted actors made me cringe more then the imminent danger and insanity of people left to survive the aftermath of such event. they don't seem to notice the currant situation of the destroyed world, other then some vague mentions of medication and the plague not hunger or radiation. its so over-dramatized in its flashback love story, but gives us nothing to find a connection with the characters so that we will care about their reunion. the cover of the DVD case delivers a different feel then what this movie even represents (main protagonist wearing a leather jacket, gloves and belt of shotgun shells wielding a sawed-off double barrel shotgun.) none of this ever is seen in the film. the protagonist never actually holds of fires a weapon at all. the reverse side of the DVD box has him firing an M-16 rifle, none such exist in the film. pictures of an abandoned city are seen on the cover and reverse. but the whole film is set in either the forests in Georgia or interiors set in L.A. Nevertheless this film is what is is, a low-budget version of "The Road" shaky at best. its bound to be some sort of low-budget cult movie.

OK, so this movie has a picture of the movies hero holding a gun, wearing a leather jacket and standing in front of a post apocalyptic city in ruins. The back of the movie describes it as a man +FIGHTING+ his way through slavers, mercenaries and the environment to save his wife. People have no food and money is worthless. It sounded good, until it started... First off, the hero never even touches a gun or a black leather jacket and he might even be wearing different shoes in the movie! Secondly he never really fights, he knocks one guy down and then refuses to kill him! There is no battle with the environment, he just walks through the woods, whining about saving his wife, until someone else saves her for him! Also, this movie is called Deadland, at the beginning it is mentioned that he must go through the deadlands to find his wife but at no time in the movie do they ever go into, past, by or even see the deadlands! I think I might have to sue the makers of this film for false advertising!!

Decent and determined survivor Sean Kalos (a fine and engaging performance by Gary Weeks, who also wrote the engrossing script) searches the harsh and barren wasteland for his missing wife Katie Johnson (a solid and appealing portrayal by the fetching Emily-Grace Murray) after a nuclear war devastates the country and causes civilization to fall apart. Sean runs afoul of both plague victims and brutal mercenaries and inspires hope in others he encounters during his odyssey. Director Damon O'Steen smartly eschews flashy pyrotechnics and mindless action to focus instead on a simple, moving, and involving human story. Indeed, this movie is given surprisingly substantial poignancy and dramatic resonance by the likable hero's touching and single-minded quest to be reunited with his beloved spouse. Weeks holds the picture together with his sturdy and charismatic presence; he receives strong support from Brian Tees as the scruffy Jax, William Katt as loopy code breaker Shiv, William Colquitt as the ruthless Commander Rufler, Davis Neeves as sweet and helpful prostitute Zoona, Harrison Page as wise underground resistance leader Red, Cullen Douglas as antsy worrywart Nathaniel, Chad Matthews as the conflicted P.O. Harris, and Brandon Waits as crude sleazeball P.O. Clarence. The moments of fierce violence are genuinely upsetting without being too nasty or graphic. The grim and desolate post-apocalyptic environment is plausibly depicted while the bright flashbacks are well integrated into the main narrative. Moreover, this picture makes an interesting point about the severe emotional price one pays to survive at any cost. The conclusion is very powerful and affecting. Rueben Steinberg's washed-out cinematography gives the film an effectively bleak grayish look. Patrick Morganelli's harmonic score likewise does the trick. A real sleeper.

This is one of those films you'll either love or hate. I obviously thoroughly enjoyed it. There's a certain B movie quality to it, but I have always been a fan of films of that level. B movie or not, it has been put together very well, and only suffered a few weak performances from very minor characters.The performances of the key characters was faultless, in my opinion, and made me see the character and not the actor. Some of the lesser characters could have done with a little coaching to make them more believable, and stop me from viewing them from the actor's perspective rather than the character's.All effects, scenery, and props were also without fault, and nothing looked out of place, taking the film subject into consideration.