Taraparain
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Aubrey Hackett
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
Being a fan of all things zombie, I had to give "Dead Men Walking" a go, despite the really crappy DVD cover. I bought the movie off Amazon, and it had what looked like a scorched zombies with broken teeth in its mouth on the cover. Looks really cheesy, so I didn't have any particular high hopes or expectations for the movie."Dead Men Walking" should have been named "Dead Men Running", because the zombies in this movie are fast and agile, running around like the ones in "28 Days Later". Personally, I am not really a fan of having the living dead running around. But hey, it is all a matter of preference.There is a lot of action in "Dead Men Walking", right from the very beginning. However, the movie is built on a fairly weak plot, so don't expect any real brain-twisters throughout this movie. It is basically your average zombie outbreak in a small restricted area. The ending of the movie, however I will not reveal it here, was actually a nice turn of events. That was one of the better things in the movie.Also, there is a tendency of not showing zombie children and the gorging of children flesh in most zombie movies, though there is some in "Dead Men Walking". So that was a nice change of pace. I mean, why should children be spared when adults aren't? And this is a movie after all, it is all make-believe.The movie actually surprised me, because of all the action and the gore. Yeah, there is a great amount of gore in the movie, so you gorehounds out there will be pleased, I am sure. The action and the gore more than makes up for the lack of a solid plot in the movie. However, one thing really annoyed me, and that was the poor lighting in the movie. It reminded me of something that was shot on VHS and then transferred directly to DVD. The lack of proper lighting in most scenes made the movie appear more amateurish than it actually was."Dead Men Walking" is actually one of the most fast-paced and adrenalin-filled zombie movies I have seen in quite some time. The acting in the movie, well that was not really something to give high praises about. Some people did good enough jobs, while others, well...If you like zombie movies with fast pace and gore, then "Dead Men Walking" is well worth checking out. However, just don't expect top-notch million-dollar budget production here.
uscmd
Having attended U.S.C and lived in So Cal all of my life, its not uncommon to run across student films. These run the gamut from real good to just putrid. Sad to say, this one is on the putrid end of the continuum. Cheap cheap cheap. Alkaselter in the mouth, for becoming a zombie, cheap.Don't believe any of the comments that claim redeeming features.The only reason this pile of dung wasn't in the 1.5-2.0 range is brief glances of breast that had to appeal to the teen age viewers.Under no circumstances view it. Read the phone book, instead.Sorry to add this, but I needed one more line.
rust37
For me the movie went down the drain pretty fast after and due to the lack of scriptwriting talents few obviously infected convicts were forced to the canteen, so the hell surely broke loose. Nevertheless the idea of zombie epidemic in a high-security prison was still interesting to follow.Apart from the script, the camera, most of the acting and especially sound work were killing the concept frame by frame. Ten repetitions of guts being pulled out of the bodies... Constant green toning of the picture, why?.. Gunshots poorly synchronized with video.. I don't know what was making me follow - I guess it was the concept itself again.But somewhere in middle of this bad taste pride parade I was brought back to life by one totally brilliant scene. It was a shotgun slaughter with classic piano concert in the back (something from Tchaikovsky's "Seasons", I guess). It was so perfect match of time, picture and sound, although this trick is not a novelty (check e.g. The Silence of the Lambs). So while making your mind please take into account that I added one extra star for Thaikovsky.
slayrrr666
"Dead Men Walking" is a pretty normal entry in the zombie genre.**SPOILERS**After being caught trying to wipe out a zombie invasion, a new prisoner is transferred to Harwood Maximum Security Prison, and the strange cause of his arrest prompts Samantha Beckett, (Bay Bruner) to look into him. The staff soon become concerned that he's vomiting blood on the inmates, and Samantha eventually reveals that he was infected with a strange virus that turns the infected into a bloodthirsty zombie. As it spreads through the prison, infecting more inmates and staff members, they are forced to defend themselves from the blood-thirsty zombies that have taken over the prison.The Good News: This one actually turned out to be a pretty decent zombie film. The most impressive thing in the movie is the huge amount of blood on display. The gore sequences were pretty outstanding and there was tons of blood flying everywhere, some really chunky bites, blood splatter all over the prison walls, guts are yanked from afar, necks gashed wide open, and a whole slew of abdominal eviscerations that were of great quality and very impressive. The gore flowed pretty steadily throughout the film and was a very gory delight. The setting is a nice, new one for zombie films, and actually gets some mileage out of the fact that it's an enclosed surrounding with no way to get out. It's a great touch that helps out tremendously. Once the film gets going, it's pretty much non-stop, making for some great action scenes towards the end, and the last half-hour in particular is just full-throttle action. The opening also helps in the action factor, starting it off on the right notion. It wasn't all that bad.The Bad News: There is a couple complaints for the film. The biggest problem is the gunfire. I know this is a low budget film, but please put a flash on the gun when it fires. It was slightly ridiculous to see guards hold their guns at the zombies, with gunfire sounds in the scene, but with nothing coming out of the gun. Even the fact that they never even sound as loud as a real gun should be in the situation is a distraction. There's no loud booming sound, rather a weak-sounding cap that really gives the fake guns away. The zombie attack scenes are also staged much too chaotically and edited with such quick jump cuts and blurring effects that it feels more like a low-budget video game. It's very hyper stylized and serves as a distraction rather than a help. And as a personal gripe, fast-running zombies will never be scary.The Final Verdict: It's decent enough in it's own way, but the few gripes against it will never be enough to offset what gory highlights can be gathered. If you're a zombie fan or love this type of film, give it a go. Otherwise, exercise extreme cation.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity and children in danger
