THE VANGUARD

THE VANGUARD

Onscreen text introduces us to Britain, 2015. The world's oil reserves have been run dry following a huge war. As any self-respecting fan of post-apocalyptic action films will tell you, this leads to the chaotic downfall of society as we know it.

But there's more: a huge faceless organisation known as the Corporation have dominated the world financially, brainwashing immigrants and convicts into protecting their lot, and employing scientists to develop drugs that sedate then kill all remaining human survivors.

However, the scientists revolt and create a drug that turns their subjects into feral savages known as Biosyns. The text concludes by telling us there are more Biosyns than surviving humans …

Then our film starts proper, and we meet two disparate characters - Jamal (Shiv Grewal) and Max (Ray Bullock Jr). Jamal is a member of the Corporation's Tracking Squad, deployed by tank into the countryside on a mission to "search and destroy". He's kitted in a Mohawk and camouflage jacket, in a clear reference to TAXI DRIVER's Travis Bickle.

Max lives in the woods, surrounded by a boundary built from branches and barbed wire. He survives by fishing for food and fending off passing Biosyns with his twin axes. His internal thoughts that he shares with his "Father" become the film's narration for it's first third, as he tells us he's been living this way for five years and lives in hope of the day a perceived Messiah named Hareem will come to save him.

In the meantime, Max continues to while away his days battling with the ape-like Biosyns. Increasingly, he seems more intent on killing rather than mere self-defence and sets out baiting Biosyns, enticing them in before slaying them: he reasons that this is "understanding" his enemy (though binding one to a tree with barbed wire, pissing on him, flipping him the bird and then watching him scream throughout the night is perhaps a bridge too far).

In what may be considered karma, Max is attacked and bitten by a Biosyn the following day. As he flees, Jamal spies him and gives chase. Upon reaching Max's den, Jamal walks into a booby trap and ends up being nursed back to health by his quarry.

Jamal informs deaf mute Max that the army are coming to rid the land of Biosyns - Max must go with Jamal if he wants to remain safe. Despite Max's flashbacks of his mother on her deathbed instructing him to stay strong and independent, he eventually vacates his den with Jamal.

The pair make haste on foot through the fields, stumbling upon Resistance survivors Zac (Steve Weston) and Rachael (Emma Choy). Jamal reveals the real reason for his interest in Max's welfare and together this motley group reluctantly work to avoid both the Biosyns and the incoming Trackers. Their mission: to find a safe destination - the fate of the world may depend on them!

THE VANGUARD is an ambitious piece of low-budget filmmaking that immediately earns points for it's visual sheen and arresting use of colour. Well-shot and making good use of natural daylight, the film wisely avoids placing itself in any specific location - and although set in the year 2015, the opening text is the only clue to the film's setting. Writer-director Matthew Hope is savvy enough to keep things vague and all the more relevant for being so.

The film begins as an action gorefest of sorts, with minimal dialogue (for the first 27 minutes, the only dialogue is Max's narration). But while the violent action scenes are fairly consistent throughout the film, the middle third does make way for some more contemplative moments - and subtexts both of politics and morality come to the fore. It adds food for thought in what could have otherwise been a throwaway romp in the woods.

It's interesting to note that this film is as much about Jamal as it is Max. The focus shifts somewhat in the film's mid-section, allowing Max's narration to take a back seat while we are given space to contemplate Jamal's motivations and aspirations. It's an intriguing script device, one which I don't whether it was accidental or not, but it works in a curious way regardless.

The odd moment of humour (the middle finger salute to the bound Biosyn; the opening shots of Max on a bicycle too small for him) does work, but are arguably at loggerheads with the rest of the thought-provoking footage. My other quibbles are that the dialogue is sometimes a little stilted (there isn't a great deal of it though) and the acting is uneven (this is a low budget genre flick - we make allowances!).

Overall, this is a slickly edited, attractively shot and inventively conceived film that deserves to be seen. Best described perhaps as MAD MAX 2-meets-THE OMEGA MAN-meets-FIRST-BLOOD-meets-28 DAYS LATER, but fortunately there are enough fresh elements - Mark Maclaine's rousing score, David Byrne's striking cinematography, a couple of surprises in the latter half of the script - to give THE VANGUARD legs of it's own.

The film is presented in an anamorphic 1.78:1 transfer which offers an extremely crisp presentation, and pulls out the rich colours vividly.

The English audio is a solid, reliable job throughout, and optional English Hard of Hearing subtitles are always a plus.

A striking animated main menu grabs the viewer's attention with bass-heavy playback of some of the score's livelier moments. From this main page, there's an attractive scene-selection menu offering access to the main feature via 16 chapters.

Extras on the disc are limited to deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

The deleted scenes are presented as a single 10-minute proposition. In total, there are 8 scenes that never made the final cut. Each one is presented in non-anamorphic 1.78:1.

The behind-the-scenes documentary is entitled "Surviving The Vanguard" and is a solid 19-minute offering that incorporates plenty of on-location footage. There are lots of insights into the mechanics of filming in the outdoors with only a small crew at your disposal, and a few asides to camera from various cast and crew members. This shot-on-video affair is presented in full-frame.

It's not a wealth of bonus material and a commentary track in particular would have been beneficial, given the politics lurking beneath the action. But as it stands, the material offered will suffice.

The disc is defaulted to open with trailers for THE SPIRIT, the Alba-afflicted remake of THE EYE, CATACOMBS and BURIED ALIVE.

As feature debuts go, THE VANGUARD is a flawed but interesting start to Hope's career. On the strength of this, and if he hones his story writing techniques a little, he could very well blossom into being Britain's next Neil Marshall.

Review by Stuart Willis


 
Released by Lions Gate Home Entertainment
Region 2 - PAL
Rated 18
Extras :
see main review
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