Blood Creek
2.5/4
Starring: Henry Cavill, Dominic Purcell, Michael Fassbender, Emma Booth
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence and Gore, and Some Language
Any student of history will be able to tell you that Nazi Germany, especially Heinrich Himmler, was obsessed with the occult. They used it and perverted it to lend legitimacy to their beliefs of the superiority of the Aryan race. So it goes without saying that film has taken this historical tidbit and used it to fuel their plots. Everything from Indiana Jones (twice) to "Hellboy" and "Overlord." "Blood Creek" does too, although it's strictly window dressing.
Evan Marshall (Cavill) is an EMT in rural America. His war hero brother Victor vanished a few years ago on a fishing trip and he has long since given up hope that Victor is still alive. It remains a sore spot for him, not least because his sister-in-law Barb (Lynn Collins) and her children cling to the hope that Victor will return, while his ailing father (Gerard McSorley) uses every opportunity to point out how much better Victor was at everything. Lo and behold, Victor does return one fateful night. He wants to keep his reappearance a secret until he completes one final tasks, and enlists Evan to help him complete it. But what seems like an act of revenge soon turns into a desperate fight for survival against a Nazi officer (Fassbender) who is literally immortal and has a serious case of bloodlust.
This is not a very good movie. The script is underwritten, it never establishes a set of rules of what can and cannot happen, the characters are thinly drawn, blah blah blah. It has long since been forgotten except by trivia experts since the three stars have become big stars. And for good reason. That said, if you view it in the right state of mind, it's not half bad. It's dumb, but after the sluggish first act, it never slows down, and director Joel Schumacher fills the screen with blood and viscera flying left and right.
All that's required of the actors is that they have screen presence, which they have. While "Prison Break" was in full swing when this was released, Dominic Purcell never became a big enough name to open a film. Purcell has the physique, but not charisma. Henry Cavill was in the middle of starring in "The Tudors" and displays the command of the screen and comfort in front of the camera that would earn him the role of the Man of Steel more than a decade later. And Michael Fassbender's career was entering its stride as "Inglorious Basterds" was released around the same time. None of them really stand out, and this is, and will always be, a minor footnote on their respective filmographies.
Director Joel Schumacher directs this movie with all the finesse and effort that it demands. Which is to say, not much. This is a z-list script with future A-list talent. It's as good as it can be, I suppose, but there's only so much that can be wrought from a blueprint that is this devoid of wit and intelligence. "Blood Creek" is a rush job made by people looking for an easy paycheck or looking to work their way up the ladder. Schumacher at least seems to know it's crap, and spends more time on the violence and gore than anything else. At least it's competently assembled, except for the set-up which lasts for far too long. The energy level is too high to view as pure camp, but thinking about any of this exposes the seams.
Here's the thing about "Blood Creek." It's a b-movie with future big names. It has nothing more to offer and doesn't have any aspirations to be any better than it must be. It is what it is. You'll never hear me claim it's a masterpiece, but then again, you won't hear me say it's an utter disaster. Especially when compared to much of what passes for horror.
Starring: Henry Cavill, Dominic Purcell, Michael Fassbender, Emma Booth
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence and Gore, and Some Language
Any student of history will be able to tell you that Nazi Germany, especially Heinrich Himmler, was obsessed with the occult. They used it and perverted it to lend legitimacy to their beliefs of the superiority of the Aryan race. So it goes without saying that film has taken this historical tidbit and used it to fuel their plots. Everything from Indiana Jones (twice) to "Hellboy" and "Overlord." "Blood Creek" does too, although it's strictly window dressing.
Evan Marshall (Cavill) is an EMT in rural America. His war hero brother Victor vanished a few years ago on a fishing trip and he has long since given up hope that Victor is still alive. It remains a sore spot for him, not least because his sister-in-law Barb (Lynn Collins) and her children cling to the hope that Victor will return, while his ailing father (Gerard McSorley) uses every opportunity to point out how much better Victor was at everything. Lo and behold, Victor does return one fateful night. He wants to keep his reappearance a secret until he completes one final tasks, and enlists Evan to help him complete it. But what seems like an act of revenge soon turns into a desperate fight for survival against a Nazi officer (Fassbender) who is literally immortal and has a serious case of bloodlust.
This is not a very good movie. The script is underwritten, it never establishes a set of rules of what can and cannot happen, the characters are thinly drawn, blah blah blah. It has long since been forgotten except by trivia experts since the three stars have become big stars. And for good reason. That said, if you view it in the right state of mind, it's not half bad. It's dumb, but after the sluggish first act, it never slows down, and director Joel Schumacher fills the screen with blood and viscera flying left and right.
All that's required of the actors is that they have screen presence, which they have. While "Prison Break" was in full swing when this was released, Dominic Purcell never became a big enough name to open a film. Purcell has the physique, but not charisma. Henry Cavill was in the middle of starring in "The Tudors" and displays the command of the screen and comfort in front of the camera that would earn him the role of the Man of Steel more than a decade later. And Michael Fassbender's career was entering its stride as "Inglorious Basterds" was released around the same time. None of them really stand out, and this is, and will always be, a minor footnote on their respective filmographies.
Director Joel Schumacher directs this movie with all the finesse and effort that it demands. Which is to say, not much. This is a z-list script with future A-list talent. It's as good as it can be, I suppose, but there's only so much that can be wrought from a blueprint that is this devoid of wit and intelligence. "Blood Creek" is a rush job made by people looking for an easy paycheck or looking to work their way up the ladder. Schumacher at least seems to know it's crap, and spends more time on the violence and gore than anything else. At least it's competently assembled, except for the set-up which lasts for far too long. The energy level is too high to view as pure camp, but thinking about any of this exposes the seams.
Here's the thing about "Blood Creek." It's a b-movie with future big names. It has nothing more to offer and doesn't have any aspirations to be any better than it must be. It is what it is. You'll never hear me claim it's a masterpiece, but then again, you won't hear me say it's an utter disaster. Especially when compared to much of what passes for horror.
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