A team of daring policemen loses in the next brawl his colleague, who was almost a member of the family. Deciding to take revenge on the gangster schusher, the cops raid the den of villains, located in a high building for demolition. But who knew that at this point in the city will begin a zombie epidemic, and our main characters will be trapped. . .
The French can be praised for a skillful and high-quality product, similar to the movie "Raid" only with a living dead man. Throughout the picture on the screen gushes the blood, pieces of meat, rotten flesh and languidly breathing unwashed zombarya pussy. There are also memorable characters, like the old schizoid grandfather, who is tormented by outbreaks with Vietnam, a gypsy gangster with greasy hair and other extravagant personalities.
Zombies have chosen a curious model of behavior - they are frisky, like mares, sensitive to noise and ready to do anything for a piece of human. And against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse, the viewer watches the development of small branches in the form of a drama between bandits and cops forced to cooperate for survival.
The tape itself is full of dynamics from the beginning to the final, especially towards the end, where blood is gushing like from a firepocket. The plot flaws and illogicality are not emphasized, again thanks to the dynamics. The French did a wonderful job, issuing a little-known, but worthy project about a zombie bat. Moreover, the director still managed to wedge a certain morality here, clearly showing that living people are not much different from dead people in cruelty and immoral behavior, only zombies do not realize what they do, unlike the conscious actions of a living person.
But the main moral of this fable is this: keep your ass at home under ten locks, and don't fuck stick your nose or other body parts into abandoned buildings.
As a result, a good zombie movie, stuffed with action and a roof.
Zombie cinema has long occupied Europe, and the French decided to start the infection in their homeland only in 2009. In the same year, there was another attempt - the first pancake lump, as they say - an awkward short film to match the films of Kaufman and those with them - Paris by Knight of Living Dead. A lot of blood and dismemberment, bad graphics, 0 meaning, etc. But it was fun, there's nothing to say.
This film, as well as a short film, is authorial and shot for small money, which, however, did not prevent him from being worthy.
The plot tells about a group of policemen who lost a partner - he was killed by bandits. Fortunately, the cops know who and know where they live - in a high-rise on the outskirts of Paris.
And that's where I was surprised. Two films immediately came to mind, two very famous and famous, as well as high-quality films - "Raid" 2011 and "Judge Dredd 3D" 2012. A similar scene, only there and there - only bandits. And there are zombies. And the fact that the film was released 2-3 years earlier is a very interesting Easter egg. (Just in case, I’m not accusing the creators of Reid and Dredd of plagiarism, I’m just noticing the fact.) I am sure that both Pete Travis and Gareth Evans have hardly seen "Becoming").
So the cops arrive, but as always, things don't go according to plan. And the zombie apocalypse is beginning very inappropriately. What do we do? All that remains is to load all the guns, squeeze the handle of a pistol or a machete and kill a couple hundred dead.
The plot is simple and uncomplicated, which, however, does not make the film bad. Events develop quite dynamically, and survival in a confined space is shown well. The actors play quite well, but the main character is annoying. I think that’s how the character was written.
The action in the film is surprisingly, a lot and even very much. It is delivered qualitatively, which is rare for low-budget films. Also, great emphasis is placed on shooting zombies from all kinds of firearms, and periodically the heroes expose the machete.
Zombies are made well, makeup is not pretentious but also not "just red paint on the face." It was nice that sometimes there were a lot of zombies in the frame - a vivid evidence that the creators did not care and that they filmed with soul and pleasure.
Operator work and eye mounting are not cut. One might complain that the lighting is sometimes bad, but that's because of the location. The music is not bad.
The French have to say, merci beaucoup! With a small budget and a lack of experience, they shot a sturdy G-sh zombie fighter, brutal, bloody, dynamic and with crowds of zombies. The original idea of the scene made the film even more appealing. And it is clear that people tried to do qualitatively and it is worthy of praise.
A rather banal idea could turn into a tantalizing movie, if the authors put a little more effort, had a little more talent and did not steal so zealously from other creators.
If the audience manages not to pay much attention to the stupidest dialogues with the stupidest and pretentious phrases, incredibly long fist scenes of battles with the zombie and empty characters, then you can watch with one eye - a bloody bath of medium and third freshness turned out. It is better not to remember about acting at all. Directors seem to have done just that – stupid characters because of the stupid curvatures of actors look even dumber.
The script does not stand up to any criticism. The authors, it seems, simply did not know how to get rid of so many characters. Deaths cause laughter not because of subtle black humor, but because of the utter absurdity caused by a lack of imagination. Scarce fantasy also forced theft - clumsy and clumsy. If you do not mention the fact that here borrowed the whole idea and concept, which were already repeatedly stolen from old Romero, still there is a lot of stolen. If old Quentin had watched this creation for some reason, he would have smirked in the scene when a gypsy girl grappled with a black leader. Well, the scene “I’ll hold them” is not only the craziest moment in the film, but also, for sure, cooled off for “The Three Musketeers”. Let's hope it's cold. It is impossible to steal from such stupid, albeit good and romantic works.
The only worthwhile moment in the picture is a hint of copulation with zombies, but its authors successfully ruined.
A group of policemen enter a multi-storey house in the middle of a city slum. Their goal is to take revenge on a gang of scumbags for the death of their comrade. The operation is not very successful, but this is not the worst: suddenly the house is under another attack.
Very rough movie. Starting as a middle-hand criminal action movie, the film sharply turns towards primitive zombie thrash, which gives its pros and cons.
First the good stuff. Zombies are not Romerian slow, but extremely aggressive, in the spirit of Boyle and Snyder paintings. There is no time to reflect on the characters or the viewer. Therefore, most of the screen time will be running around the floors, shooting and blood-intestines.
A minimum of reasoning, a maximum of testosterone, adrenaline, mountains of cartridges fall on mountains of corpses. The atmosphere is gloomy and depressing, aided by gray walls with splashes of blood, a night with howls of zombies out of darkness, a burning city - Beauty! Technically, the film is made neatly, without abusing that damn shaking camera.
The script offers us a choice of several vivid images among cops and bandits, as well as residents of the house. A rabid Nigerian, a European cocaine player, a mustachioed policeman with no brakes, and a mad veteran with a machine gun. In fact, the advantages of the film smoothly turn into minuses. An interesting idea is lost among numerous similar floors, clogged with zombies.
Characters to one degree or another, but all negative, even against the background of a general threat, they cannot empathize. Moreover, they still completely arrange psychosis of varying degrees of hysteria. And it all looks so playful and far-fetched that the behavior of the infected is perceived an order of magnitude more adequate. Moreover, each tantrum ends with the same pointing of weapons at each other for a couple of minutes, yelling at the whole building and the same sudden cessation of the entire “disassembly”. Watching another such action, I want to get vaccinated against rabies. But maybe it’s moral: there’s a beast inside everyone. Isn't it just that so many impulsively unstable characters have been crammed here?
However, if you do not think and turn off the brain, the film is suitable for cinematic relaxation for one evening. No more.
5 out of 10
Yes, this is how the name of this zombie action is translated from the French - and it explains much more what is happening on the screen than what our localizers have come up with - however, they like to mess with the names so much that you just stop being surprised when one thing is written, and it is translated completely differently.
So, a quartet of policemen, burning with a desire to avenge the death of a comrade, goes to the outskirts of Paris to a multi-storey house prepared for demolition, where there is probably not a single normal person from civilians - from a guard to his grandfather with an axe. But just because of this security guard, who is not to sit in his room decided to get into history, to become a hero - forgetting what usually such heroes end. And not only that he finished so, but also framed flicks, because of which they found themselves in a very even delicate situation that could end in the death of each of them, and not just one, if ...
Usually, a zombie is presented as something clumsy, barely dragging legs, from which to escape - spit. But in this film, zombies, although they continue not to differ in special intelligence, but they move so fast that you do not have time to follow their movements. In the rest, they are the same eternally hungry corpses, turning the living into self-like ones with bites. It reminds everyone of the well-known abode of evil, doesn’t it? But unlike the Monastery in this film, it is not known what caused the sudden revival of all the dead - maybe it is for the best, since this film is still not about causality - but how to survive in one group of people who hate each other.
An emotional cop, his colleague, who better not cross the road, the leader of the bandits, his half-ass brother, a completely insane gypsy and an old man who is crazy of all of them, put together - completely unusual characters for any film - unless the film is about the mentally ill - and especially for a horror movie about zombies. Perhaps this is what attracts when watching the Pack - not so much - will they get out or not and in what composition - how much - and will they crush each other's heads in the process?
And here's the finale. Is it a new day, or is it just the beginning? I didn’t like the sound before the final credits.
8 out of 10
But I wonder what happened to the two bandits, who were shown a lot in the beginning, and then they simply forgot about them? I didn’t see them as zombies.
- I told you he should have cut his leg, and you didn't believe it!
French horror films have always differed from American ones in that they have much more violence and blood, and the French somehow manage to shoot so that looking at the passions that flare up on the screen, it is impossible to remain indifferent, since the realism of what is happening makes itself felt. Remember the shocking "Martyrs" or the vile "Border". But "Flock" is clearly not the case.
First, I sincerely hoped that some mutants or birds would act as the evil spirits that our heroes would have to confront, judging by the title of the film. It was not called, for example, “Crowd.” However, there was no limit to my disappointment when it turned out that the “culprits of the celebration” were the most ordinary zombies, that is, the living dead, films with whose participation have already become obsolete. We have already seen all this in 28 Days Later, Dawn of the Dead, Mad Men, etc.
Secondly, the naked eye can see that the "Flock" has not the most powerful budget. But special effects are not the main problem. The weak atmosphere of the story is disappointing. There are almost no scary moments, except for the first attack. And the zombies didn't make them scary. Although there were interesting moments, for example, when a brave cop on the roof of a car cut a crowd of hungry creatures for salad.
What I liked about the movie was the acting. Everyone played their roles well - and the schizophrenic Aurora, and the cunning gypsy, and the leader of the gang. And the Vietnamese grandfather with a minigan turned out to be the most colorful character. In general, I have great respect for French actors for the fact that they, even acting in not very good films, try to play, and not do everything upside down like lazy Americans.
You can watch "Flock" for familiarization, but it is better to make a choice on "Dawn of the Dead" Snyder - he is clearly better.
I wanted to see this movie, but it didn’t work out. When my brother arrived, he chose what he would watch, and he remembered this movie. Of course, he did not take my proposal with much enthusiasm, but he agreed. Here’s the final impression after watching.
Plot.
On one of the streets of France is a tall building, which belongs to demolition, as it is very old. But at night, a small group of police sneaks into him to find and get even with the criminals who killed their partner. But because of a ridiculous accident, they become the suicide bombers of those whom they tried to revenge. But that’s not the worst thing that could happen to them. The living dead burst into a multi-storey house. And now the police "dogs" and street "wolves" can only unite in a common "pack" to survive. If you survive, there are only two options: together or for yourself.
No wonder the film was awarded “Fantasporto” as the best screenplay. The plot is interesting and exciting. Of course, as horrors he does not scare, but as a thrash militant - strong and uncompromising. The action is powerful but rarely present. Another rarity in this film is the theme where enemies become allies. I predicted how the ending would end, but the writers added an unfair but original ending.
Plot: 2.0 points.
Characters.
The actors coped with their role. The characters of the film, people from the strong ten, they are not one who speaks with noble pathos, and whine along with the words “I do not want to die!” or “I want to live!” I want to highlight more than three special personalities.
The main character is Jimenez, a cop with an iron grip. He’s a good character, like in all movies. I liked the scene where he was single-handedly dealing with a whole horde of walking dead dead people. From admiration I wanted to express myself in the boy's slang - beautiful!
Aurora is a policewoman, a strong, mean and cold personality. I am glad that the heroine is not another beauty.
And my grandfather, a Vietnam War veteran. A large unshaven belly in some strange way gives him a frightening and such an image of a murderer.
Zombie. Makeup is great, the dead turned out to be creepy and ferocious. True, I wanted the classic Slow Dead, but the distraught monsters from "28 Days Later" should increase the interest of the audience.
Characters: 1.9 points.
Special effects.
Horror levels are average. I was impressed by the scale of the apocalypse in the city of love. There's no such thing as Suspense here. All this time I was not afraid or afraid.
The thrash level is low. For thrash fans, the film will not impress. There is no fountain of blood and meat.
Thriller level is high. I like realistic blood splashes, and I have nothing more to write here.
Special effects: 1.8 points.
Soundtrack.
Composer Christopher Lennertz tried to create music that could give the intensity and energy of action, but it was not. I didn't pay attention because I didn't feel the drive and the hardcore, because it never happened. That's bad.
Soundtrack: 0.6 points.
Additional:
Operational work: -0.3 points. Award "Fantasporto" for the best camera work. Isn't it strange that my opinions and the film critics award didn't coincide? Maybe I didn't get it, but I really didn't like the camera. There were certainly good shots, but most of them looked miserable.
The last one.
“Flock” is not a terrible horror movie about another fight between the living and the dead, but a good and exciting thriller. Fans of militants and fans of live zhmuriki will appreciate this film.