You get a slight impression that the film unfolds without attempting to appease the viewer or tick the conventional boxes of audience expectation.
The attempt to exact revenge goes wrong very quickly and before too long zombies flock towards the building. The situation is an unlikely lifeline for the cops who are slated for executed at the hands of their captors. However, together they become the hunted.
The opening encounter with the infected feels unplanned and realistic, a confused and messy affair which causes two opposing forces, cops and robbers, to adopt a common purpose, survival. (Obviously, its a zombie movie, stupid). This is exemplified in a speech by Ouessem when joining rank with the bad guys.
None of the characters stood out as immediately likable or otherwise, but there weren't any lines or scenes that felt forced or unnatural in light of the film's events. The atmosphere was suitable, dark corridors usually do the trick, and the sense that in that gloom was something left dripping or neglected encouraged the theme of isolation.
The character motives outlive the building siege in the end. Aurore, the female lead character, is still driven by her original motive and nothing deters her from it. The consistency is done well, just because the building has come under attack from the undead doesn't mean the bad guys turn good, or that the good guys have to achieve some sort of major character ark.
There are moments that connect with the wider zombie genre which are succinct and cruel, when several characters mock a zombie with a severed head, a grim group mentality is portrayed. Their behavior is challenged by the lead villain,Markudi,who reminds his brother, Bola, of the horrors back home in Nigeria.
Zombie movies typically indulge in the opportunity to show a dark side of humanity. La Horde does this well, but also features characters with depth and motive which exceeds the restriction of their confine and current situation.
The action scenes are also top notch. There was a spark of dark humor because the fight scenes with zombies were so physical. It was the first time I'd seen such conflict between the zombie and the human. In several scenes zombie butt-kicking ensues, literally.
The final third of the film sees the group shrink. There are a couple of events that show several characters being voluntarily heroic, but this is done in an understated way. Those who take the fall on behalf of the group do so while being consistent with their character, so heroic acts don't come out of nowhere and don't seem corny.
The closing of the film sees the female lead deliver her message, not deterred by the zombie siege. This film left me guessing until the end who was going to survive and who wasn't.
All in all, not the best zombie film, but as a grim portrayal of survival with characters that are consistent and action scenes that are slick looking, well choreographed, and plenty gory, not bad at all.
The attempt to exact revenge goes wrong very quickly and before too long zombies flock towards the building. The situation is an unlikely lifeline for the cops who are slated for executed at the hands of their captors. However, together they become the hunted.
The opening encounter with the infected feels unplanned and realistic, a confused and messy affair which causes two opposing forces, cops and robbers, to adopt a common purpose, survival. (Obviously, its a zombie movie, stupid). This is exemplified in a speech by Ouessem when joining rank with the bad guys.
None of the characters stood out as immediately likable or otherwise, but there weren't any lines or scenes that felt forced or unnatural in light of the film's events. The atmosphere was suitable, dark corridors usually do the trick, and the sense that in that gloom was something left dripping or neglected encouraged the theme of isolation.
The character motives outlive the building siege in the end. Aurore, the female lead character, is still driven by her original motive and nothing deters her from it. The consistency is done well, just because the building has come under attack from the undead doesn't mean the bad guys turn good, or that the good guys have to achieve some sort of major character ark.
There are moments that connect with the wider zombie genre which are succinct and cruel, when several characters mock a zombie with a severed head, a grim group mentality is portrayed. Their behavior is challenged by the lead villain,Markudi,who reminds his brother, Bola, of the horrors back home in Nigeria.
Zombie movies typically indulge in the opportunity to show a dark side of humanity. La Horde does this well, but also features characters with depth and motive which exceeds the restriction of their confine and current situation.
The action scenes are also top notch. There was a spark of dark humor because the fight scenes with zombies were so physical. It was the first time I'd seen such conflict between the zombie and the human. In several scenes zombie butt-kicking ensues, literally.
The final third of the film sees the group shrink. There are a couple of events that show several characters being voluntarily heroic, but this is done in an understated way. Those who take the fall on behalf of the group do so while being consistent with their character, so heroic acts don't come out of nowhere and don't seem corny.
The closing of the film sees the female lead deliver her message, not deterred by the zombie siege. This film left me guessing until the end who was going to survive and who wasn't.
All in all, not the best zombie film, but as a grim portrayal of survival with characters that are consistent and action scenes that are slick looking, well choreographed, and plenty gory, not bad at all.