La stirpe

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...

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.

Like the curate's egg' this film was good in parts, but they weren't very big parts.

I have always enjoyed the twist associated with 'good vampires' and I guess I am still waiting for a film to properly use it.

This film was too outré and grotesque (in the original meaning of the word) for it to have worked as anything other than an over-the-top dance-macabre of a film; a sort of Grand Guinol of the film world. Unfortunately it never really achieved this distinction and instead we are left with a mishmash of themes and failed attempts at being something that it never quite achieved.

The script and the acting were pretty deplorable and the direction was anything but tight, though still one can sort of envisage what was intended; and those stolen fleeting glimpses serve to supply enough motive to keep watching. In the end this continued attention is utterly frustrating, since the ending manages to further let one down and, indeed, the rest of the film.

I don't say 'Don't watch this film!' I would, however, warn you to keep you expectation low, and not to be too surprised if it fails to live up to them.

Based on the automobiles I would just call it an alternate earth ratherthen put it far in future and i would call it a dark sci-fi fantasy romantic thriller rather then horror perse. A world where vampires had come out of the closet so to speak is rather believable in that if vampires existed as they do in that setting, the problem would be more of the public at large believingb then disbelief. The chill of the movie comes from the reasons why some vampires don't want public view vs those wanting integration with society. The sub plot of the principal vampire animosity against discrimination of beief is very good along with the the human main character. The closer to life possibilities of the vampires of the story make them more believable as a branch of humanity then anything else. What has been found in recent years about various physical conditions makes the possibility of vampires and others existing. The darker alternate setting was more like 1984 then anything else but it would be better to call it as it appeared, an event of the late 50s based on the autos.

Calling it a B movie fits, but I viewed it for the storyline not the acting or action sequences but rather for being entertained. If one wants good acting or scenes there are other movies. If one likes a story to entertain and just chill a little this one fits nicely. View it for the story line not the scenes,or the acting but the story and one may enjoy it. It has now rerun on one channel 3 times and I keep finding little story gems.

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.