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Overall Rating : 7/10
Directed By : Lawrence Pearce
René Zagger
Giles Alderson
Sasha Jackson
Katia Winter
Supplied By : Allumination Filmworks
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : July. 11, 2006
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| PLOT Against riverfront London's sordid backdrop of seedy nightclubs, winding streets and dark alleyways, a modern-day Jack the Ripper stalks his prey... Meanwhile, troubled, newly "turned" exotic dancer Ruby and her brooding vampire lover Vincent struggle to resist their overpowering addiction to the "drug" that both sustains and shatters them: Blood. |
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| THE REVIEW In Lawrence Pearce's Vampire epic, NIGHT JUNKIES, we meet a man by the name of Vincent. On the outside, Vincent appears to be just like everyone else, but deep inside, he is someone entirely different. At night he walks the dark and seedy streets of London, with only one thing in his mind, a craving for his next fix. Vincent would later explain that he is a "Junkie", except, his addiction differs from the norm, as it's not heroine, or any other hard drug of any kind, his addiction...fresh human blood. With this rare craving that urges him to go out every night and feed, he has chosen to live a rather secluded lifestyle, that is of course, until he meets a young stripper named Ruby. Ruby, at first is repressed, and reluctant when it comes to her job, but her life would also soon change, when during a moment of heated passion, Vincent, a man she had known for only 4 hours "turns" her into what he has become. For awhile after, this seems to bring out a wilder side of the girl, but once the realization of nightly feeding upon innocent humans sets in, she wants no part in it. Vincent tries to "teach her the ropes" of his lifestyle, but it is just something she never fully grasps, instead she vows to kick the addiction (due to the fact that she witnessed her father commit suicide after shooting his body full of heroine), and tries to persuade the man, she is falling for, Vincent, to do the same. Meanwhile, the menacing club owner wants Ruby to return to work, as he has plans to send her out as a call girl - to get her back he sends Matt, a man that has always longed for Ruby's attention, and on top of that he too is a recently turned Vampire. There happens to be one big difference in Matt however.... he doesn't know how to control the addiction that takes over him, and has been embarking on a merciless killing spree amongst the streets of london. Well, lately, there have been a rash of Vampire flicks, all low budget, all trying to be clever, all of them virtually the same old mess that studios keep churning out to cash in and make money on, not worrying an once about what's entertaining. I first heard about NIGHT JUNKIES, when Director Lawrence Pearce added me to his Myspace friends a few months actually, and it is until now that I have seen it. To be honest, before I put this in, I was expecting, "just another vampire flick", but what I got was totally surprising as it is different. It is historic, the myths about Vampires, from Holy Water, to wooden steaks, to garlic, each of these myths or theories have been covered in films until they have been done to death. But here in his film NIGHT JUNKIES, Pearce, refusing to settle for the blueprint of Vampire Cinema, forges on to new ground. Gone are all of the norm, all are replaced with normalcy and gritty realism, no longer are Vampires mythological creatures, but that of near humane. The easiest way to put this is to say, imagine a heroine addict, a "junkie" if you will and incorporate them into a Vampire story - that is exactly what Lawrence Pearce has done here, essentially replacing the heroine with blood. Here, Vampire cinema, takes the most modern approach I have seen, as the ones that crave blood are no longer invincible but vulnerable, fighting everyday troubles just like everyone else -knowing that the craving that that they try to stray from, may very well also save their lives. Shot on a low budget, looking at the production value, it would be hard to notice as everything from, lighting to the locations, all look top notch. The camerawork and Direction by Pearce is both seamlessly fluent, and slick, giving off the impression, that careful planning went into making every shot look exactly right, overall, a fantastic job was done, when it came to giving the film it's dark and sleek look, that some have even called "sexy". Even with that sexy appeal, I was surprised to find that the nudity isn't all that gratuitous, but rather tastefully used, and the plot never took a back seat to it, which to me was a good thing, With many of the other Vampire films, they usually chose to capitalize on the sex elements. and the urges that are associated with being a vampire, leaving a plot as basically second priority to across to the audience. NIGHT JUNKIES on the other hand, is purely story driven, and to the deliver the story, the film has some great performances by it's actors, whom all seem to work well together. Taking center stage are Giles Alderson as Vincent, and Katia Winter as Ruby, respectively. The two immediately have a chemistry that the very is drawn to, and that's a good thing, because they are the two people the viewer sees for most of the movie anyway. Although the supporting actors, do play an important part in the film as a whole - there is not one, character that seems to be there, just to fill space in the cast, they all, in one way or another play a part in making the film a success. THE NIGHT JUNKIES, above all else, is a film that defies the Vampire culture as we know it to be, and to be honest, I see it as a refreshing change. The film leaves off, possibly paving the way for a sequel to the story, I am curious to where Pearce may choose to take the story next. |
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| GORE
METER 3.5/10 I saw this film as one of those, where you come out of it thinking you saw more gore than you actually did. Yes there are bloody bite marks(the ones here were also very human-like), and bloody feedings, but I didn't see them as being simply gory, but rather stylish and classy. |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 6.5/10 I loved the film's score/soundtrack, I thought it added a lot to the film, from the original theme, to the various rock tracks, it fit the movie perfectly. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Not only does THE NIGHT JUNKIES have a well developed story, but also has some clever dialogue, many viewers are likely to remember long after. I was just glad to see something new and creative, something every Horror, or even film fan hopes to find, as new movies continue to come out each week - and low budget, or not NIGHT JUNKIES has it! I Recommend... This DVD will be released on July 31, 2007 |
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