SUNDOWN
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
[Seen at the Seattle International Film Festival]
SUNDOWN: The Vampire in Retreat (US, 1989) WORLD PREMIERE Director: Anthony Hickox Screenwriters: John Burgess and Anthony Hickox Cast: David Carradine, Maxwell Caulfield, Bruce Campbell, Deborah Foreman, M. Emmet Walsh, Morgan Brittany, Marion Eaton, John Ireland
When on the subject of unsung quality film work, I like to bring up a rather unlikely name: David Carradine. No, I'm not some zoned-out KUNG FU groupie who thinks TV peaked with Carradine muttering earnestly while kicking the royal whatsis out of unthinking Old West bigots/cattle barons/rich-guys- with-an-attitude. In Slo-Mo. ("You must learn the way ... of peace." *WHAP* "Say, that Chinaman just stuck his ankle through Zeke's forehead!" "Yeah, in slow motion! Real artistic-like! Where's Peckinpah -- he'd appreciate this!" "I say we ALL attack the Chinaman -- but one-on-one, instead of in a group! And without weapons!" *WHAP* *WHAP* *WHAP*...)
No, I'm talking film, not that backwater medium called television. Because when the name David Carradine is found on any B-movie over the last decade, you can be sure that magic is just around the corner. Remember... DEATH RACE 2000: Paul Bartell. Roger Corman. David Carradine. Mary Woronov. Sly Stallone. Congressman Fred Grandy. Gives you hot flashes just thinking about it, eh? LONE WOLF McQUADE: Who can forget Chuck Norris propelling his mighty four-wheel-drive American-built pickup out of the grave after being buried alive in it? And, of course, showing NO EMOTION WHATSOEVER! Is that a real man, or what? Q: David Carradine AND Michael Moriarty (No Relation, BTW, outside of vast mutual respect), the other B-Movie lucky rabbit's foot (e.g. THE STUFF, TROLL), *together* on the *same* *screen*, with a *very* *bad* *stop-animation* *Ghidrah*. Special Bonus: Richard Roundtree! (No Shaft-sized gun, though.)
So you can well imagine my expectations when I saw Carradine's name heading up SUNDOWN; and, for at least once this summer, my high expectations were exceeded. This is one heckuva lotta fun, and clever to boot. It's advertised as the first Vampire Western Comedy, and I'll be damned if it doesn't deliver in the best tongue-through-cheek B-Movie tradition. I'm not giving away anything by describing the initial plot set-up -- it's plastered on the screen before the opening titles, in STAR WARS fashion, to a wonderfully overblown Western theme by Richard Stone. By the end of this decade, many of the vampires in the world are tired of killing, and in turn being hunted by humans. The visionary vampire Count Mardulak (Carradine) believes that vampires and humans can live in peace, and has gathered many of his brethren up and taken them to a small ghost town in the American West. There, with the help of sunblock, UVH protected glass and artificial blood produced from a local plant, the vampires are trying to "live" a peaceful, if somewhat isolated, existence, with the hope of someday walking the earth side-by-side with man.
HOWEVER (you knew that was coming, right?), some of the vampires (led by Fundamentalist Vampire John Ireland and scientist Max Caulfield) believe that this artificial blood stuff (which looks kinda like vanilla Yoo-Hoo) is for weenies, and start an underground Right To Bite movement. There's a problem at the artificial blood plant, and biochemist Bruce Campbell (the inventor of the process -- he thinks its being used for leukemia patients) has been invited to visit the plant by Mardulak and find out what's wrong. Deciding to make it a working holiday, Campbell brings his picture-perfect family (with wife Morgan Brittany and their two daughters) with him in the station wagon -- but hey! Turns out Brittany dumped Caulfield for Campbell, and he's still got the hots for her...
Well, you get the picture. Pretty soon, you've got a Sergio Leone war between Carradine's and Ireland's forces, with Campbell and family in the middle. We're talking cinema milestones here, folks: A vampire mob scene! Vampires on horses! Sergio Leone gunfights! A stretch Caddy with vampire bodyguards! David Carradine gives a speech right out of a Frank Capra movie about refraining from drinking human blood! A nice little old vampire couple! M. Emmet Walsh decapitating an obnoxious Porsche driver! (Note for squeamish fans: that's as bad as it gets -- this isn't a gore film.) Pretty darn good vampire/bat transformation scenes and stop-action bats! (Up there with THE HOWLING, anyway.) More rousing Silverado-type western music! A vampire yelling, "Let's saddle up and RIDE!"
There's a lot of funny stuff here -- not just camp humor, but clever material. (Though it goes down better at a midnight movie -- that's what it was designed as, I think.) There's also some admirable story continuity, as the vampire "legends" are nicely supported and enforced throughout the plot. Standout performances by Carradine, who knows just when to drop the serious lines and play to the camera; and M. Emmet Walsh, as a crotchety old vampire who is trying *really* hard to stay on his diet...
I don't know if this went straight to video (it's released by Vestron, which appears to at least be making *quality* B-pictures out these days, instead of crap like MIDNIGHT CROSSING that they brought to last year's festival.) But it's definitely worth your $$; SUNDOWN was some of the best fun I've had in a movie theater this year.
Definitely recommended, with special Best Fun at the Festival awarded by Yours Truly.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
INTERNET: moriarty@tc.fluke.COM
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