Tooth and Nail

Michael Madsen is a fine actor, even though he's the same guy in every single role, but his association with this mega bomb may finally, have done him in. The dialog in Tooth and Nail is so poorly written, that I was laughing out loud at scenes that were supposed to invoke pathos. The premise of this movie is so stupid, that even an eight year old would find fault in its logic. It's kind of a pity to see guys like Madsen and Jones in a piece of crap like Tooth and Nail and makes you wonder who the hell talked them into it. The only redeeming aspect of this film was the DVD cover design, which was misleading at best. 8 Films to Die For, whose choices included some great, quirky horror in the past, has lost credibility in my book (of the undead of course).

Tooth and Nail took on a completely different aspect than some other cannibal movies for me, besides Silence of the Lambs of course, and I think it is possibly the most cunning of the 2nd Annuals, Borderland following extremely close behind, or maybe tying. Not too many things were wrong with this film for me except that it was kind of out of the blue how cannibals decided to raid this hospital which supposedly had people in it, and that Michael Madsen did not have as big of a role as I thought he was going to. However, the movie entertains and has a nice execution. It is really exciting and fun to watch. The characters are not really done that well, but they are passable and the script, while lazy, is still decent. I just had a blast watching it. It is not a masterpiece, and never could be quite honestly, but the whole premise is very enjoyable. Tooth and Nail is actually though tied for my favorite Afterdark Horrorfest film overall so far, so it's definitely worth the watch, in my honest opinion.

The apocalypse has occurred, only not due to nuclear war or global warming-we just ran out of oil. Anyways, A group of survivors find a girl(Rachel Miner), and take her in. Unfortunately, they have also found themselves under siege thanks to a gang of cannibals (which include Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen) who look like they just walked off the set of "The Road Warrior."

Best described as "The Hills Have Eyes" meets a "Mad Max" knock off, "Tooth & Nail" is a mixed bag that can best be described a a movie that doesn't live up to it's full potential. While the acting is good (Who knew Rider Strong would turn out to be such a good actor?), and the kills and gore are impressive, the movie suffers from some poorly done twists. Okay, the twist at the films conclusion isn't too bad, but the other twist in the film can be seen miles away.

Another problem is the way that it wastes Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, and Robert Carradine in their roles. Watching the movie, you feel like you should have gotten more of these guys. A shame really.

In the end, "Tooth & Nail", in spite of a few scares, some good acting, and nice gore, is hurt by a sense of wasted potential. It's not a horrible move, or even a bad one, it's just an okay movie.

In the barren landscape of a post-apocalyptic America, a small group of survivors (largely teenagers/young adults, conveniently) find themselves up against a group of cannibals who kill seemingly at random and who seem to only come out at night.

Good news: Robert Carradine is always watchable in his underused character, and character actors Vinnie Jones and Michael Madsen are fun if completely underutilized. Some nice, messy kills and a few scenes with passable suspense.

Bad News: So much potential, the film tries in it's final minutes to be more clever and intelligent than it is, forgetting the cardinal rule to horror movies in this category: Stay tongue in cheek, stop pretending like the audience hasn't seen this done before...and much better, too.

I went into this expecting something like Mad Max meets Land of the Dead. It was not as grim as I had hoped. Once you get past the obvious messages about gasoline reliance, it isn't that terrible at all.

While some of the acting isn't the most solid and sometimes stereotypical, overall they way the characters act and cope are done pretty well. There are a few pretty gory moments if that is your thing.

As I said in my summary, it is pretty predictable what will happen, who is the bad and good guys, surprise salvations, etc... However, the one thing that struck me watching it that is atypical for a "people being hunted by crazies" movie is that when someone was taken down, they don't get back up and seem invincible. No machete through the stomach and still kicking butt bad guys, which was a welcome change.