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Dr. Action reviews Gangsters, Guns and Zombies

So last week in my hometown, it was time for the annual Zombie festival of Leicester in the UK. The festival itself is called Day of the Undead, Leicseter is a strange place to hold a zombie fest, the nearest we get to zombies here is 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning, when people are heading home from the clubs.

I saw a new remastered print of Fulci’s Zombie Flesh Eaters and Cockneys vs Zombies, both were great, ZFE needs no introduction of course. A mystery screening was at 9 p.m., it turns out a premiere of Gangsters, Guns and Zombies, a British horror/comedy was to be shown. The co-writer/director Matt Mitchell was there himself to introduce the movie, a very funny and enthusiastic introduction set the movie up.

So like me I guess when you first saw Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, you thought, HEY this flick needs zombies. No, just me then I guess, but this i would say mixes Lock Stock antics with Night of the Living Dead zombie fun. The director himself describes it as Night of the Living Dead in a transit van.

The plot is a basic one, a gang of six have just committed a robbery, they have got away but one of the gang has been shot. We find out the driver is new to the group, and this is his first job, each character is given an introduction as to who they are, and what they bring to the group. Crazy Steve played by Fabrizio Santino is a real highlight whenever he is onscreen, a great performance by him.

So out of the blue a zombie outbreak occurs which leads our gang stuck in the van with their safe house the destination, all the time trying to help their friend with the gunshot wound, and battling zombies when they leave the comfort of their van.

Along the way more people are introduced and new relationships develop, especially with the introduction of a Grandmother and her Grandaughter.

The movie seems to slow up around the middle of the movie, this is to benefit a very fast paced opening and set up for a strong finish. The best thing about about the movie is simple, this movie is FUNNY, I can only give the writers a huge round of applause for this. Written jokes and very funny visual jokes run all through the movie. I’m not the biggest fan of comedy, but this kept a smile on my face throughout the running time. The horror stuff is everything a zombie film needs to be.

Matt Mitchell is definitely a name I’ll be looking out for in the future, I rate the movie as Good, just think Lock, Stock and Shaun of the Dead.

Listen to the podcast Dr Action and the Kick Ass Kid commentaries which you can find here.

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