The Dead (2010)

Director: Howard J Ford, Jonathan Ford
Starring: Rob Freeman, Prince David Oseia, David Dontoh

Synopsis:
An American mercenary and an African soldier brave swarms of zombies in an attempt to get out.

Impressions:
The main thing that sets this movie apart from most zombie films is the setting. Yes, you had Resident Evil 5 set in Africa, but other than that, I can't think of any other piece of zombie fiction to take place in the Dark Continent. Besides being the origin of the zombie mythos, you can draw a thematic connection to the epidemics and violence that plagues the region. There's some social commentary here, but not much and not too heavy-handed. Performances aren't great, but I thought Prince David Oseia stood out as Sergeant Dembele. Effects are serviceable and some of the set pieces are suitably tense. Some of the locations in Burkina Faso and Ghana are really quite striking, particularly the cool rock spires. If you're a fan of zombie movies, this should be unique enough to warrant a watch, but if not, I don't know if there's enough here to draw you in. Take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50