Brotherhood of Blood (2007)

Absolutely the worst movie.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I can see why "Brotherhood of Blood" would have difficulty being commercially successful. And that's too bad, because this is an excellent film. The "problem" leading to a commercial struggle is that the writers/directors created a very intelligent script that assumes the viewer does not need everything spelled out to them. This is a film that opens by placing us in the middle of a complex world, with a deep history, so that we have to pay attention and do a bit of detective work to get up to speed initially. The script is full of unexplained references to beliefs and traditions of Vampires and Vampire Hunters. It is densely packed with clever dialogue, subtle puns and other kinds of literary devices and references.This is not a light "popcorn" movie, and it is a slow burner. If you were not to fully pay attention and actively think about the film, you could easily become lost or confused.The performances are superb. the lead Carrie, the old vampire (Sid Haig), the captured vampire (Ken Foree), and the young Vampire all seem like real people with complex personalities and back stories. The ending of brotherhood of Blood cries out for a sequel, but not because the ending is at all incomplete, or because there was a monster who just wouldn't die. A 9 out of 10 from me.

I tend to be attracted to any movie featuring Sid Haig (The Devil's Rejects, House of 1000 Corpses). Add vampire to the theme and you have me hooked.This isn't a traditional vampire tale, but more a film noir thriller where a group of vampire hunters is seeking the brother of a rich CEO (William Snow). The brother was bitten in Romania. Meanwhile, the vampires themselves are hunting the same brother to prevent the resurrection of "Vlad Bossei" a super-vampire who lived in the 12th century.There film is definitely nonlinear as we jump from today, where Carrie (Pratt) is a captive of Pashek (Haig) and Fork (Wes Ramsey); to yesterday, where they are trying to get information out of Stanis (Ken Foree - Rob Zombie's Halloween, The Devil's Rejects); to last week to get the full story.Victoria Pratt ("Mutant X", Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep) is the leader of the vampire hunters, and does a very good job in this film. I also enjoyed Wes Ramsey's performance.The twist at the end screams sequel.

Seriously, it seems that anyone with a bottle of catsup and a pair of wax fangs thinks he can make a vampire movie, which is why most of them are so bad.This movie was better than most in terms of plot and storytelling. A group of vampire hunters is seeking the brother of a rich CEO who was bitten in Romania. Meanwhile, the vampires themselves are hunting the same brother to prevent the resurrection of "Vlad Bossei" a super-vampire who lived in the 12th century.There are all sorts of twists, turns, double-takes, and some of them don't really make sense, but the movie is fun for what it is, and the actors actually look like they are trying.

granted, this movie has a very clever ending. yet the other 90% of it simply left me scratching my head. not that i can never think while watching a movie, but a movie this convoluted needs a map or something. The unnecessary complexities in the plot are mostly red herrings designed merely to confuse. But the casting I like. There's at least some good actors who can pull it off. Well, at least the young directors showed precocious talent: *brotherhood of blood* cost a mere $100,000 to make but looks like it cost 5-times that figure. It's nice to see directors make the most of meager resources.