30 Days of Night (Widescreen)

 

 

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I disagree with E.A Solinas' comment about this movie.Sam Raimi and David Slade DID deliver! There was nothing mismatched or illogiocal about it.It was terrifying and gruesome enough to keep me and many people thrilled.I loved it and went out afterwards to buy the grahic novel.Josh Hartnett gave a good, honest and realistic performance but is a bit too young to play a sheriff.I really enjoyed this superior work of thriller/suspense.30 Days of Night douses you in blood and suspense.A few minutes into the film you are immersed in quick, gritty violence and intensity and it never lets up until the conclusion.I have been anticipating the dvd release and can't wait to pick it up tomorrow when it is released.

Gone are the vampires who are so completely wimpy that Blade can kill with a single swing of his manly sword. The lead vampire in particular Danny Huston who is an identifiable character saturated in menace at the same time peering at his victims with soulless black eyes. These vamps are, in every sense, nasty unlikable, disgusting, weird and utterly scary, just like a vampire should be.

So they come by boat to feed of the population of Barrow, an Alaskan small town, a place where no person ever seems to joke or smile. They're forced to live, once a year, in perpetual darkness during the winter. Director David Slade knows how to create tension and horror without showing you much, and that happens to be a plus point with its extremely patient build up, and the heightening of suspense. You have to tip your hat at him for crafting a very quiet movie at crucial scenes, so much so that the audience lend their "Ssshhhhs" not to tell fellow audience to keep quiet, but aimed at the characters themselves to remain like little mice lest they get detected. '30 Days of Night' is a very grey movie in mood, tone and the weather.

The humans here though behave like typical vampire movie fodder. The bigger the ensemble, the more victims it can provide, not counting anonymous folks seen being victims from afar. Josh Hartnett's Sheriff Eben plays hero as he leads his bewildered town kinsman to survive through this 30 days of mayhem before the sun shines again, while trying to work out his estranged relationship with wife Stella (a very pouty Melissa George from Turistas (Unrated Edition), and I still say she's a dead ringer for Estella Warren!). As usual, you have a team of misfits feeding off each other's strength in a quest for survival, and a theme such as Sacrifice is never too far away from movies like these.

The real interesting take on the vampires is that they have their own language and move like starved, rabid animals. They don't seem to have a master plan for world domination or being part of a conspiracy, they're just there and the way they look will scare most people. Their facial feature is like something out of a David Lynch nightmare.

I like that this is a mystery, not an action movie and the only other scary vampire movie in modern times is Shadow of the Vampire, a movie almost as scary. But I can hear my vampire-loving friends bring this down, since the vamps didn't play spinette, spoke with eastern European accents and moaned like the best sex they've ever had every time they sink their teeth into flesh. They don't even seem to be enjoying themselves. There is one more movie that comes to mind and that The Addiction, where vampirism also seem to be more of a decease like alcoholism or bulimia. It does contain some pretty violent scenes like the massacre on the dogs, the gunplay and decapitations that look almost too realistic.

But what I felt was a let down to its build up, was the unsatisfying ending, which left a bitter aftertaste with its abruptness and inability to resolve anything substantial. It also didn't allow for any sympathy for the victims as you would sometimes find yourself rooting for another kill just to satisfy your blood lust, also because little time is given for you to get to know those characters. As the humans learn that guns do zilch to their targets, there goes all hope, and try as they could to get creative in turning the tables, it boiled down to keeping it simple. Thumbs up for the vampires but as for the whole film in general it could have been a lot more, but unfortunately left some bits to be desired.

It seems they only come about once a year. 30 Days of Night, superficially a horror film but truly an action/suspense to the bone, is based on an outstanding comic book miniseries with the same title. It is directed by David Slade, who brought us the surprisingly suspenseful and unique Ellen Page vehicle Hard Candy. Although 30 Days of Night is a different type of film, the same all encompassing suspense permeates and Slade is once again very fortunate to have some of the best young actors around today as part of his cast.

The film takes place in the isolated village of Barrow, Alaska where the sun annually disappears for 30 days straight. As the sun sets for the last time in a month, the town Sheriff, Eben (Josh Hartnett), increasingly gets busier and busier over the course of a few hours. Some peculiar vandalism occurs and some sled dogs are killed. He investigates and soon stumbles upon a bizarre drifter (Ben Foster) who becomes the film's "crazy old man" cliché character who warns of the town's fate. Although Foster is of course young, that cliché may very well be intentional as it probably goes all the way back to the Renfield character in Dracula. Foster's character is definitely the Renfield of this film, so perhaps he brings the formula full-circle. Anyway, the townie characters are for the most part likeable and that makes it even more exciting when a ruthless posse of vampires shows up and wreaks havoc on men, women, and children alike. No punches are pulled as we see Sheriff Eben do his very best to protect the few folks who remain holed up in some old guy's attic.

The film has solid performances from Hartnett and Melissa George and I guess they help to anchor the marketing end and make this very good movie some well earned money. However, others are far better. Ben Foster convinces this viewer that his performance in 3:10 to Yuma was the real deal. I think we may be looking at a great actor on the verge of stardom. Danny Huston, who plays the lead vampire Marlow, contained an amazingly eerie and chaotic emptiness just enough to keep a layer of vulnerability to his host exterior, which was probably a nice businessman out of Anchorage. He is a great villain.

The real winner in 30 Days of Night though is the village of Barrow and its tundra setting. It represents the northern most settlement in the United States but from what I hear the town wasn't portrayed accurately, nor was the film shot on location. That's somewhat forgivable because as it turns out 30 Days of Night has a very unique feel and it is a nice looking production overall, especially compared to most horror films. The sound effects and music were great and some of the aerial shots that Slade creates are unforgettable. It's like Near Dark meets John Carpenter's The Thing, but I would wager a guess and say that Slade is not a hardcore horror movie buff and despite the aforementioned comparison his film is unique for the genre. The genre in general is way too derivative and most horror filmmakers are far too celebratory of their peers. It's like a clubhouse sometimes and the regurgitating of each other's ideas is as acceptable as giving each other their secret handshake. Slade seems influenced from better films than those of that somewhat tainted genre and his movie is much better for it. He did his own thing and now horror filmmakers can steal from him.

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4.0 out of 5 stars better for teenagers then children
its great for a horrer movie with friends and all that stuff but the ending it crap! i will never buy it but i will watch it again! better rent first!

Published on Feb 27 2010 by T. Burns

1.0 out of 5 stars Un navet dans le domaine d'horreur de plus !
Si vous avez vue la bande-annonce dites vous bien que vous avez tout vue ce qu'il pouvait y avoir d'intéressant ! Read more

Published on May 6 2008 by Vladyk Barnes

1.0 out of 5 stars 30 days of tedium
Vampires in movies tend to be portrayed one of two ways -- as sexy pretty people, or barely-controlled beasts who only think about neck-gnaws. Read more

Published on Dec 23 2007 by E. A Solinas

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