ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

         

         I wanted Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter to work. Really, I did. The trailers made it look like non-stop goofy fun. While it did deliver some incredible sequences, the mix of real history and vampires felt a little off kilter and rushed as the movie progressed.
          A synopsis really isn't needed for this film, as the title sells it all. Abraham didn't have a great child hood as he lost his mother at a young age. It turns out milk sickness didn't really have anything to do with it as it was actually a vampire infecting his mother. Fast forward a few years and we get a vengeance seeking Abraham getting shit faced at a pub when he meets a stranger by the name of Henry Sturges (Dominic Cooper). After exchanging a few words, Abraham stumbles out of the bar ready to kill the man responsible for murdering his mother. Things don't go as planned of course and luckily for Abraham, Henry Sturges shows up just in time to save him. And yes, Henry Sturges is a vampire killer.
          Abraham's training begins at this point in the movie and while it didn't need to dwell on it I felt more time should have been given to his training. Maybe I am just too big of a fan of 80's training montages, but it really wouldn't have felt out of place. In no time at all Honest Abe can swing an axe as if he were on a high school color guard team. From there we are thrown into the action as Abraham heads to Springfield to begin his new career. Timur Bekmambetov is no stranger to wild action (Wanted anyone). CG enhanced bloodletting ensues at a rapid pace and the film never lets up. It is in section of film that AL:VH is strongest.  The two largest action set pieces are really a site to behold as dazzling doesn't even begin to describe them. Of course, if you are in the anti-CGI crowd you'll be disgusted at the sheer abundance of the 'enhancements.'
          AL:VH is certainly a one of a kind film, or at least story. With a little more emphasis on the vampires and a little less on the historical fact, it could have been a classic. As it stands it's a fun film the gets more right than wrong. It moves at a breakneck pace and should be viewed for the two big action sequences if for nothing else.

       

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING

"If you go looking for Deveraux, he'll find you first..."          

          It must be said that before all else, UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING is a psychological horror film. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. Those expecting a film that exists in the the same world as the other films will be very disappointed. Even the main characters in the past Universal Soldier films (i.e. Van Damme and Lundgren) are placed in small yet essential roles. This is a Scott Adkins movie through and through
          The film starts off with a shocking point-of-view sequence John's (Scott Adkins) house getting raided by three assailants. What would normally ensue in any Scott Adkins film doesn't happen. He doesn't destroy the assailants with any spin kicks or quick fists to face combinations. No, he gets pummeled a crow bar. Cracked repeatedly over the head, he is forced to witness the execution of his wife and child by none other than Luc Deveraux (Van Damme).
          Long time fans of the franchise going into this film will be put off kilter by what happens over the next hour as you still are expecting a Universal Soldier film that bears some resemblance to the previous entries. That doesn't really happen. What plays out is more much more detective story as John tries to find out who murdered his family and why. I applaud the writers for going this route, as it is anything but generic. There are a few slow spots but the story never lingers. Director John Hyams shows that he is capable of providing more than just your basic action story. Does that mean there is no action though?

          Not only no, but hell no. What Day of Reckoning lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality and sheer brutality. Keeping with the horror movie theme, we switch from psychological to slasher movie mode. Blood is shed at an alarming rate. The camera never shies away as axes and machetes slap into flesh.  Both Van Damme and Lundgren get to trade blows with Adkins, but the star of the show for me was the sports store fight. Easily the best fight scene I have had the pleasure of viewing since the 'three-way' fight in The Raid, Adkins and the ever-bearded Adrei Arlovski beat the living hell out of each other. Bone-crunching doesn't begin to describe it. The rating of  "Rated R for Brutal Bloody violence..." really doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what Reckoning delivers. There aren't goofy one-liners to take the viewer out of the movie to help sugar coat the pain of seeing someone sliced up or shot like so many deliver. The violence here is served straight up and only helps carry the darker tone of the film.
          Minor quips aside, like a glaring continuity error in the car chase, this entry in the franchise is completely different yet very welcome. The cult-horror elements in the film surprisingly work. John Hyams deserves a few "ata boys" for delivering a highly memorable and unflinching film. It's obvious he set out to make a very different film with Reckoning and in the process made the best Universal Soldier film yet.