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Rise - The Blood Hunter (Unrated) [2007]


RRP: £15.99
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) dies and comes backs to life several times in Rise—Blood Hunter, which gives this revenge tale impetus to continue perhaps longer than it needs to. At over two hours long, this film, written and directed by Sebastian Gutierrez (Snakes on A Plane), is beautifully filmed and acted at times but drags due to the drawn out story of a LA Weekly reporter who seeks revenge on her murderer, the vampire head of an underground blood-sucking cult. This handsome monster, Bishop (James D'Arcy), charms women, kidnaps them, and slits their throats with his claw-shaped necklace, stumping the entire LAPD minus Clyde Rawline (Michael Chilkis), a hard-drinking policeman who eventually teams up with Blake to hunt and destroy the vampiric ringleader. The scenes depicting initial doses of violence, like when Blake wakes up in a metal casket at the morgue, or when she's originally killed in Bishop's bed, covered in black trash bags to avoid bloodstains, feature crisp film footage awash in blue and red, setting a semi-poetic mood. Mostly, Rise—Blood Hunter operates on the vampire tales' conflation of sex and death, taking a sexy tone throughout, especially when Sadie or her fellow vampire, Collette (Cameron Richardson), feast on blood then strip off their sullied clothing. Blake's vengeance underpins her rebellious attitude, as she shoots her crossbow at each person she meets on the trail to Bishop. Though Rise—Blood Hunter is not a classic in the genre, it is enticing to add Lucy Liu to the list of gorgeous vampire slayers. --Trinie Dalton


2.5--Lucy Lui what have they done to you ?!?!,
Review date: 2008-04-25 Rating: 4 out of 10

While Rise: Blood Hunter isn't a terrible film, it's a predictable one. This is meant to be a revisionist vampire film (no one actually uses the word vampire in the movie) but these are the same trendy vampires that have haunted the screen since Blade. Is it too much to ask someone to try and shake up the vampire film the way Kathryn Bigelow and Eric Red did with Near Dark? Or Larraz did with Vampyres (over 30 years ago)? Can't we just get a little Nosferatu around here? Instead what we have here is a journalist by the name of "Sadie" (Lucy Lui) who discovers that a young goth girl she briefly covered in a recent article has been found dead and a hidden message she left behind may lead to her killer's whereabouts. What she discovers is a secret underground group of vampires, who feed on unsuspecting women. Sadie becomes their latest victim, but instead of being left for dead, is turned into one of them. After she awakens in the morgue, she must come to terms with her new self and is enlisted by a mysterious Spanish man, who gives her the means and know-how on how to find and destroy the vampires that turned her.

This movie proved to be another interesting take on the vampire mythos. The vamps in this flick are fangless and really show no signs of being Nosferatu, with the exception of their strength, lack of a reflection, and thirst for blood. They're not afraid of crosses, and we're not shown whether the old garlic theory works on them. Sadie doesn't even use wooden stakes to kill them; instead she seems to use metal bolts shot from her small crossbow. Although the flick is very slow-paced and doesn't offer a whole lot of the typical vampire action we're accustomed too, it does show a different side to the legend, by following Sadie from the moment she awakens in the morgue, to how she gradually copes with her thirst, and eventually finding strength in herself to confront those that harmed her.

The whole sequence where she awakens in the morgue, to her trip to a homeless shelter, where she feeds on her first victim, was somehow mesmerizing to me. I also liked a scene where she finally accepts the fact that she needs to feed and picks up a hitchhiker in a secluded road. From the homeless shelter to her reactions and awkward dialogue with the hitchhiker, the film seemed to portray a kind of realism behind vampirism and the need to feed. That, and my general interest with revenge-type flicks, led me to enjoy the movie mildly. Since this isn't your typical vampire film, there's no flying, clawing, or neck biting, so the gore is kept at a minimum. There is, however, a lot of blood spurting and bolts to the heart. In the end, what it lacks in gore and action, it makes up for in story.


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Reviews


very disapointed
Review date: 2008-03-02 Rating: 4 out of 10

Being a Lucy liu fan I hoped to realy enjoy this film.
Why did she make such poorly writen film?
Why did they spoil such a good premis for a film?
what is so special about the crossbow bolts that they kill vampires?
The confusing flash backs make it difficult to follow Tarantino it aint.
You will need three or four pints to see this film
The very last scene is so predictable. This film makes Chalies Angels BAFTA material.

Quite good for a modern vampire story
Review date: 2008-02-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

Having seen a lot of vampire films, I'm usually unimpressed by modern versions but this one is suprisingly good.

The story centers around a reporter out to hunt down and kill the vampires who turned her - how she became a vampire and why she wants revenge and death instead of imortality becomes apparent as the film progresses.

With plenty of action, blood and some sex this is an engaging film. Lucy Liu is a strong presence in the lead role.

The only downside is that some of the story is told in flashbacks and its not always immediately obvious which scenes are the present and which are the past. Until it becomes clear, the story is occasionally a bit confusing.

This film is definately worth seeing at least once. Fans of vampire films will probably enjoy it but as with any film, if you're not sure, rent it first!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
James D'Arcy
Michael Chiklis
Lucy Liu
Carla Gugino
Mako

Creators:
Lucy Liu (Primary Contributor)
Michael Chiklis (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582535150
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-01-28
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 117 minutes

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