La Loi des vampires

After reading some of the comments here, i was expecting a horrible movie. However, after watching it, I was quite surprised. The Breed was alot better than i expected. I think people exagerated quite a bit when describing its faults. It isn't a gorefest or vampiric suckfest like some vampire movies. It was more like a moody detectives story set in an alternate/parallel reality type movie(I don't buy that future crap..not after watching the movie).

Anyway, I give it a 7/10. For vampire fans, definately worth watching. And hey...Ling Bai alone made this movie worth watching.

I've seen too many movies. I admit it. That's why I can tell where most movies are going most of the time. This is especially true of horror movies. I don't mean to imply that all horror movies are same and therefore easily predictable. Rather that there is a tendency towards sameness when it comes to quickly made B grade horror movies. This tendency is what makes me treasure those rare B grade horror movies that manage to surprise me. Movies like "The Breed."

The movie, set in "the near future," opens with our main character, named Steve Grant (Bokeem Woodbine), and his partner tracking down a kidnapped girl. Grant is an agent of the NSA (National Security Agency) and I am unsure as to why an NSA Agent would be tracking a kidnapped girl. Unfortunately, so is the script. Moving on. The partners quickly find the girl (too late) and confront her kidnapper. The kidnapper turns out to be a vampire and slaughters Grant's partner.

It was at this point that I figured I knew where the movie was going. I assumed that this incident would open Grant's eye's to the world of the occult and he would either A) be kicked off the police force and become an independent vampire hunter or that B) he would be inducted into the secret branch of the police force that specializes in demolishing creatures of the night. Just as the movie looked to be headed straight for path B, it took a left turn and regained my interest. When Grant insists on telling the truth in his official report he is told that the Government has known about vampires for nearly a year and are working on integrating them into normal society. He is then introduced to his new partner, one Aaron Grey (Adrian Paul), who is a vampire and told that they must work together to catch this dangerous rogue who threatens the peace of both races.

This is a good premise for a movie and, to "The Breed's" credit, it tries to live up to this premise. It fails more than it succeeds, but at least it fails in a watchable way. The movie spends a little too much time on a murder investigation that isn't as complicated or as interesting as it seems. It sets up an ending that isn't as surprising as the movie wants it to be. It gives action scenes that aren't as exciting as they should be.

In between the scenes mentioned above we get a love story that, properly handled, could have been the basis for an entire movie of it's own. We watch two partners learn to trust each other and deal with their differences. We see totalitarian overtones to the government that, if played up more, could have added a whole new layer of depth to the movie. We meet some cool vampires. We see some cool death scenes.

Generally, this is a lousy movie, but it is a movie that tries hard. Sometimes, I'd rather watch a failure with high ambitions than a success with that settled for ordinary.

This seems to be one of that rare breed -- a vampire film with emphasis on mood and storyline, rather than a gorefest like, for example, John Carpenter's Vampires. I'm thinking particularly of the twist involving the deadly virus poised for release and the several secrets and betrayals on both sides of the conflict between the rogue vampire and the alliance of humans and peaceful vampires. The self-conscious allusions to other examples of the genre should tip off viewers that this movie is not in the traditional mode of such films and that "vampire rules," whatever they are, do not apply. If you're a stickler for rules, look elsewhere. The blue filter over the camera lens, the dried leaves and black panther in Lucy's gothic mansion, the retro set design, and so on are there to create a mood, not simulate reality. After all, the concept of vampires is in its very nature an eerie dream; this movie treats it accordingly. There are some thoughtful lines, such as pasty-faced Aaron's response to his warm-blooded partner's curiosity about what it's like to suck human blood. That's a place you don't want to visit, he says, leaving his meaning up to the viewer and therefore allowing as complex a meaning as you are capable of giving it. Sure, the fog effects are overdone, Serenity looks pretty depressing, and Woodbine was miscast. This is not a perfect film. It's a B-grade monster movie with the courage of its convictions plus points for originality and some style into the bargain.

I don't quite know what to say about "The Breed". It has a serviceable plot compromised by an alternate reality setting. The plot is straightforward enough - vampires and humans attempting to peacefully coexist and a series of murders which may be either a rogue vampire or a more sinister political plot to derail the process. The players are all decent (OK, perhaps Adrian Paul lays it on a little thick), and there are sufficient twists and turns to provide some sense of mystery and/or suspense. To its credit, the characters are well developed and you actually come to care about some of them. It even features a surprisingly engaging romance subplot. How much you can enjoy it, though, depends on how you react to the setting.

The setting appears to be an alternate reality version of current-day America. Some scenes confuse the issue by suggesting a European setting, but that doesn't explain the presence of an obviously American black detective. The vibe is strongly influenced by Orwell's "1984". Although references are made to historical events such as race relations in the 60's, WWII, Nazis and the Holocaust, the sense of reality is severely compromised by the setting. TVs all appear to be B&W sets from the 50's and automotive design seems to have stopped evolving in the 40's. Stylistically, it's quite similar to "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" - and that's not a compliment in this case since it's obviously not supposed to be a period piece as "Sky Captain" was. The scenes inside NSA headquarters especially were highly reminiscent of both the 1984 film adaptation of "1984" as well as several "Twilight Zone" episodes.

I should also add that I have only seen an edited for TV version broadcast on the SciFi channel. Some other reviews here suggest that the unedited version has some plot problems unrelated to the editing process.

Did I enjoy it? Not tremendously, although I did have a grudging appreciation for the audacity of how it was handled. Notably, it presents an interesting and unique version of the entire vampire mythos. Would I recommend it? Not necessarily. As I said, I feel somewhat conflicted about it. I rated it 6 out of 10 and have tried to explain that vote as much as possible. If what I've said hasn't put you off, then give it a try...

Unlike many films of this genre, The Breed offers a new look at the world of the vampire. The vampires in The Breed are remenicent of the great Count from Bram Stoker's famous novel.

The vampire effects are well designed and aid heavily in bringing the characters to life. Actors Adrian Paul, Bokeem Woodbine, and Bai Ling offer some good performances here.

The story of The Breed revolves around the creation of a buddy/buddy cop scenario in which one is human and the other is a vampire. Adding to the story and performances is the stunning gothic scenery that offer an Old World European look.

The Breed is a good film that transcends the traditional vampire flick and offers something new by replacing bloodshed for plot.