George A. Romero's Land Of The Dead Review

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 06.27.2005

Zombies, lesbians, and Leguizamo! Oh my!

Land of the Dead

Written and Directed by: George A. Romero.
Starring: Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy, and Eugene Clark.
Rated R for pervasive strong violence and gore, language, brief sexuality and some drug use.
Runtime: 93 Minutes.

OK, let me be honest right off the bat. I can’t be unbiased when it comes to Land of the Dead. You know how everyone has certain crucial movie memories that mean a lot to them, whether it is the first time you saw Star Wars, E.T., or whatever? Well, mine was when, as a young child allowed to stay up late on Halloween, I watched Night of the Living Dead, George Romero’s classic 1968 zombie film. I was both terrified and mesmerized by what I was seeing. This was nothing like the usual Sunday morning kids fare I was used to. And even though it gave me the creeps while watching it, I can also remember wanting to watch it again immediately afterwards. Since then I have watched it again, hundreds of times. It’s my favorite movie of all time, and the experience of seeing it that first time began a life-long obsession with the horror genre, and with zombie films in particular. I spent the next few years devouring (so to speak) any zombie flick I could find. It didn’t really matter to me if the movies were good or bad (or really, really bad). If it had zombies, I was going to like it.

During these formative years gorging on zombie movies, the obvious high light was Romero’s 1978 NOTLD sequel, Dawn of the Dead. Because it jump-started my interest in horror, NOTLD holds a special place in my heart, but Dawn is arguably the better film, and still stands as the masterpiece of the zombie genre. Who didn’t watch that movie and fantasize about being in the same situation as the four heroes, having a whole mall to themselves? And if it takes a zombie invasion to get that wish, well, so be it. Of course, I then moved on to 1985’s Day of the Dead, which at the time was expected to be the last in Romero’s Dead trilogy. Coming off of the comic bookish outrageousness of Dawn, most people, myself included, were somewhat thrown-off by Day’s bleaker and more claustrophobic setting. But Day is definitely a film that benefits from multiple viewings, and, sure enough, more and more fans have begun to come around to it, and Romero himself has stated it is his favorite of the series.

I’ve seen plenty of zombie films since then, but I always doubted I’d get another film from the master himself. Fellow Romero fans know exactly what I’m talking about. In the years since Day, rumors of a fourth Romero Dead film popped up on numerous occasions, but never really led to anything. And, although Romero often discussed his idea for a Dead film that would represent the ‘90s (just as the other films had symbolized their respective decades), the year 2000 came and a fourth film was nowhere to be seen. When Romero finally announced he had scripted the fourth Dead film (which still focused on his idea for the ‘90s film - that of the last human survivors now ignoring the problem) the rumors that a new installment was finally on the way once again picked up steam. But then 9/11 happened, and, according to Romero, nobody wanted anything to do with his script, choosing instead to focus on making happy movies. It once again looked like zombie fans were going to be denied the return of their king.

And then a funny thing happened. Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later was a surprise hit; and while it wasn’t exactly a zombie movie, it bore enough resemblance to re-animate interest in the genre. Soon after, it was announced that Universal was working on a remake of Dawn of the Dead, and fans of the original went ballistic, demanding it be stopped. But then it came out and, surprise, surprise, it actually wasn’t that bad, delivering a huge opening weekend to boot. Zombie fans next got their kicks with the British zombie spoof Shaun of the Dead, another surprise smash hit thanks to good word of mouth from not only fans, but Romero himself. Meanwhile, even the two Resident Evil movies were modest hits, no matter how the majority of horror fans felt about them. After years of existing solely on the fringes of the straight-to-video horror market, zombies were making a mainstream comeback, big time. And yet, it somehow did not feel complete. And then the news hit; it was announced that Romero had gotten a greenlight to begin work on Land of the Dead.

Now don’t get me wrong, I was as thrilled with news as the rest of the horror fan community. But there was also a small sense of worry that gnawed at me. Could the film possibly live up to the lofty expectations that us fans were (probably unfairly) hoisting upon it? Romero’s post Day of the Dead work has been average at best, and it didn’t seem out of the question to wonder if he would be able to recreate the magic of the original trilogy. And, while my affection for zombie films never went away, I have become less forgiving of the sub-par ones (sure, they’re good for laughs, but not much more). And so I found my excitement tempered by one thought: the one thing worse than never getting a fourth Romero Dead film would be to get it and discover George no longer had it in him.

So, in a way, this review represents a huge sigh of relief. With Land of the Dead, Romero cements his reputation as the undisputed master of the zombie film. 28 Days Later, the Dawn remake, and Shaun of the Dead may have all been great fun, but Romero proves with Land that he is still the man to beat when it comes to the undead.

Land of the Dead begins some years after the events of the previous films. It’s never clear just how much time has passed, but the issue of time has always been a vague one in the Dead universe. While Night was filmed in 1968, and looks it, Dawn is supposed to take place only a week or so later and yet clearly looks to be set in the late 70’s. And although Day is apparently set a year or so after the events of Night and Dawn, there is a scene featuring the book “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King, which wasn’t published until 1975 (so if the crisis began in ’68, King apparently published his book during the midst of a worldwide zombie epidemic). Romero is clearly not interested in time continuity; nor should he be. After all, it doesn’t matter when this all began. It could have been anytime. All that matters is that one day the bodies of the recently dead suddenly began to get up, walk, and feast upon the flesh of the living. This unexplained phenomenon has been continuing for years as Land begins, and the tide has clearly turned in the zombies’ favor. The title says it all; the world has clearly become the land of the dead.

The remaining humans have continued to survive by enclosing themselves in fortified cities, one of which (never named in the film, but meant to be Pittsburgh) is the setting of Land. The city is protected from zombie invasion by benefit of being surrounded on three sides by a river, with military guarded electric fences making up the remaining side. In control of the whole operation is Kaufman (Dennis Hopper), a crazed bureaucrat who has been able to convince others that money is still important after the government and economy has clearly collapsed, but has also managed to retain the familiar American class system of the haves and the have-nots. Kaufman and his cronies (who, not surprisingly, are all rich and white) live in Fiddler’s Green, an extravagant skyscraper where residents continue to shop, dine in fine restaurants, and live life to the fullest, somehow ignoring the chaos that thrives outside their walls. This amazing level of denial isn’t as easy for the rest of the city’s inhabitants, who are forced to live outside Fiddler’s Green, in a slum area. Among these poorer residents are Kaufman’s team of scavengers, led by Riley (Simon Baker) and his second in command, Cholo (John Leguizamo). It is their job to go outside of the city and raid the nearby zombie infested towns for supplies. Helping them accomplish this is Riley’s creation, the Dead Reckoning, a special fortified truck/tank hybrid equipped with guns, missiles, and a fireworks-firing cannon used to distract the zombies.

On one such scavenging mission, Riley makes a surprising discovery. The zombies have apparently started to evolve. One zombie in particular, a one-time gas station attendant known as Big Daddy (Eugene Clark), seems able to communicate with the others, and actually appears offended and dismayed by the treatment of his fellow zombies when Riley’s team gleefully uses them for target practice. Big Daddy even goes as far as to put an “injured” zombie out his misery before calling to his fellow dead and, seeing the direction the scavengers are heading, leading them on a march towards the city.

Meanwhile, Cholo makes a surprising discovery of his own. Despite being Kaufman’s personal stooge and doing his dirty work for quite some time, Kaufman denies him his longtime wish to leave the slum and move into Fiddler’s Green. Kaufman claims there is too long of a waiting list; although it doesn’t take Cholo long to realize he is simply not the type that Kaufman will ever truly allow into his personal paradise. Denied the one thing that has kept him going, Cholo strikes back by stealing Dead Reckoning and threatening to fire on Fiddler’s Green unless Kaufman gives him the money he feels is owed to him.
This interrupts Riley’s own plans to leave the city, which entail driving north to Canada, hopefully finding a cabin somewhere deep in the woods and living the rest of his life in peace. Unfortunately, Kaufman has other plans for Riley, forcefully recruiting him to go after Cholo and bring Dead Reckoning back. Riley grudgingly embarks on the mission, but he is not alone. Along for the ride are his faithful sidekick, best friend, and excellent marksman Charlie (Robert Joy); Slack (Asia Argento), a slum girl who had been forced into fighting zombies for sport after not going along with Kaufman’s plan to force her into prostitution; and three soldiers hand-picked by Kaufman to keep an eye on Riley, at least one of whom is not quite what they seem. The six set off to find Dead Reckoning just as Big Daddy and his zombie “army” arrive on the outskirts of the city.

Suffice it to say, it doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose, just as one would expect (and want) in a Dead film. Romero was given a significantly larger budget than he has ever had for the series before, and it shows. Each Dead film seems to have its own unique tone and style, and this one is no exception. Land of the Dead is the closest the series has come to a Hollywood style action film. This might initially worry some fans, who might complain the film isn’t as bleak as its predecessors, and conforms to more typical action film norms. However, the film is a more than worthy entry into the series, and it never feels as if you’re getting watered down Romero. This is even true when it comes to the violence. When Romero refused to deliver an R rating on Day of the Dead, his financiers slashed the budget, resulting in him having to simplify his much larger and action packed script into the Day we’ve seen. So when it was announced that Land of the Dead would be trimmed down to an R for the theatrical release, it was easy to imagine Romero was allowing his vision to be compromised. But perhaps Romero knew that an R today is a little more lenient than an R in 1985. At least, it sure seems that way, as fans should be pleasantly surprised at the level of gore in Land. So don’t fret, gore-hounds, you’ll get your fill of blood and guts. As for you more squeamish types, uh, you should probably fret.

Land of the Dead is also, without a doubt, the best acted of the series, as it should be given the talent involved. Seeing actual “name” actors in Romero’s Dead universe (after the previous films were filled with unknowns and Romero’s friends) can be a little jarring at first. But going this route was a great choice, as the actors here breathe life into their characters in a way that the series has never seen before. Simon Baker might not be a huge star, but judging by his heroic performance as Riley, he might be well on his way. Asia Argento is perfect as Slack, no surprise, considering Romero wrote the part for her. Dennis Hopper plays Kaufman with just the right level of slime and disdain for others. As Big Daddy, Eugene Clark doesn’t quite take the crown for best zombie ever (that honor still goes to Sherman Howard as Bub in Day), but he does manage to do a lot with a role that doesn’t allow for any actual speaking. He displays a full range of emotions, and actually makes you feel for the plight of him and his fellow dead (Romero has even said he considers Big Daddy the real hero of the film). But it’s Leguizamo who steals the show. Leguizamo almost always gives the most interesting performance in every film he appears in, and this is no different. Even though Cholo does some terrible things through the course of the film, it’s hard to hate him, and always easy to understand where he is coming from thanks to Leguizamo’s performance.

Like Romero’s other Dead films, this one is elevated above the usual zombie fare by the clever use of zombies as social metaphor. NOTLD is often read as a commentary on the social and racial tensions of Vietnam-era America. Dawn was Romero’s harsh critique of America’s rampant consumerism, and Day was his take on military bureaucracy run wild. Land continues his tradition of using the Dead series to offer his take of the current state of America, as his original idea of “ignoring the problem” (a critique of America’s response to the homeless problem during the ‘90s) is now mixed with plenty of post 9/11 America metaphors (Kaufman’s response to Cholo’s demands: “We don’t negotiate with terrorists”). Romero is clearly dismayed that America is still a country where the wealthy are in charge and keeping others off of a level playing field. One even gets the feeling Romero really wouldn’t mind seeing something like a zombie invasion come along to change things. And while Land shows that Romero believes human nature would still create the same problems after the invasion, this film has more of a sense of hope to it than the previous films did.

If there is one obvious problem with Land of the Dead, it is that it is not long enough. That’s not to say there isn’t enough zombie mayhem; quite the opposite actually. It would have been nice to spend more time with the residents of Fiddler’s Green, none of whom we really get to know except for Kaufman. You have to wonder how these people could go on living life with all the mayhem outside, but Romero never really fleshes out this aspect of the story. In both Dawn and Day, Romero allowed the films to go long spans without any zombie action, even to the point where you could almost forget you were watching a zombie film. This time around we are never gone from the dead for too long, but perhaps the film would have benefited from taking a break from the action for awhile to give us more of a peek into the inner workings of Fiddler’s Green. Perhaps Romero may have been making a concession to the studio, or the shorter attention span of today’s audiences, by keeping things moving at such a fast pace. Whatever the reason, it’s a shame he never allows the film the same sort of breather that Dawn and Day had.

Still, that’s a minor complaint for a film that not only alleviated my concerns, but surpassed my expectations. With Land of the Dead Romero hasn’t simply made an adequate entry into his series, he has once again crafted a modern horror classic. It’s probably too early to compare this film to the rest of the series; I’d have to wait for a few more viewings and the benefit of time before making such a judgment. But what the hell, I will go ahead and declare it the most audience friendly entry yet. For pure entertainment, it is comparable to both NOTLD and Dawn (I love Day, and I respect that it is Romero’s personal favorite, but I still feel it’s the weakest of the series). I wouldn’t be surprised if, in time, Land is held in the same regard as the rest of the series, and while there will undoubtedly continue to be a number of zombie movies in the future, Land once again proves Romero’s dominance of the genre. According to recent reports, Romero plans for Land of the Dead to be the beginning of a new trilogy, bringing the Dead series to a grand total of six. Now that I am no longer worried whether Romero can still bring the goods, this comes as welcome news. I say bring on the next two, George. And welcome back. We missed you.