Writer: Mark Young
Director: Mark Young
Cast: Robert Carradine, Michael Madsen, Rider Strong, Vinnie Jones, Rachel Miner
Rating: R
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: March 18, 2008
Ever since last year and the release of the 8 Films to Die for and Captivity I have been anxiously awaiting the next round of horror films in the “To Die For” lineup. This year’s lineup was quite interesting, albeit not always very scary. The fun thing about these films is that many of them had talent that you recognize from other movies or television. That example works perfectly with Tooth and Nail considering such names as Rider Strong (Boy Meets World), Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds), Rachel Miner (The Black Dahlia), Vinnie Jones (The Condemned), and numerous other recognizable names are in this film.
With names like the above mentioned actors, you would think that you would get a movie that is what it claims to be. Tooth and Nail claims to be scary. Is it scary? That depends on who you’re asking and how big their tolerance level towards horror is. Did it scare me? Not really. However, it was entertaining and something that I would probably watch again. When you take that into consideration and also consider that most horror movies I see I end up wanting to toss out the window, this one isn’t so bad.
Release Information:
The After Dark Horrorfest and the 8 Films to Die For became a reality in 2006. It’s a great thing for Indy filmmakers in the horror genre, because it gives them a chance to make a name for themselves and it allows horror fans some new material to sink their teeth into. Once the movies hit DVD they are distributed by Lionsgate. This set of films was released on March 18, 2008. Tooth and Nail can be purchased as part of the complete set or it can be picked up separately at just about any retailer that sells horror movies. If you are unable to find Tooth & Nail
The Tooth and Nail Plot
Tooth and Nail offers a dark time in a post-apocalyptic setting sometime in the future. The idea, in theory, is not unbelievable. In short, the world runs out of gas. The lack of petroleum causes an ultimate disaster. Cars stop running, electricity eventually gives out, as well, and finally civilization as it is known is absolutely over. While civilized life may be over, people are still forced to try and survive as best as they can.
The world has been split up into two basic groups. The Rovers are blood-thirsty cannibals that will do anything to get some meat, even if it means eating another person. Then there are the foragers, which are the people that try to survive and recreate society as best as they can without the convenience of gas in their lives. Once we realize this, we are introduced to a small group of about eight or so people that are living as a small community in an abandoned hospital.
Living as a small family might, each person has their own assignments and chores to make sure that the group lives as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. Unfortunately, things change drastically for this group when they meet Neon (Rachel Miner) on the street one day and take her home to help her out. It is not too long before the Rovers show up to feast on the hospital community, one by one. At this point, the foragers have to fight like hell to save their lives and the lives of those around them. Some may be saved, but many will not.
Overall, the film has moments of interesting, faster paced frenzy, but there are the slow, dull moments, as well. Things start out a little slower than I would have preferred. I understand that the audience needed a little bit of background information, but it does take a short while for things to get rolling in that comfortable zone of enjoyability.
I see the movie as more of a statement about the state of the world today as opposed to a horror movie. It didn’t scare me, but it did make me wonder what would happen when gas gets so high that we essentially, just don’t have any? While the script was occasionally slow, all of the actors managed to do a good job with what they had been given. Tooth and Nail was not the best movie of the 8 films in the Horrorfest set, but it certainly wasn’t the worst. I would put it somewhere in the middle, with higher marks had it actually been frightening in some way or another.
The predictability factor made it hard to be truly scary. Anyone that is familiar with horror movies and the associated rules of horror knows that during an apocalypse you don’t bring home strangers. It’s just too dangerous. In the end, the nicest people in the film always die. The ending offers an original twist that I didn’t see coming, especially in the manner that it is presented. Of course, by then it will be too late for some to truly enjoy.
Besides, a person eating people isn’t really scary unless it’s happening to you and you’re on the wrong side of the meal plan. Despite not scaring me, I didn’t hate it. It has it’s redeeming qualities and they are even more noticable if you like some or all of the notable cast members in this low budget flick.
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Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Tooth and Nail is presented in anamorphic widescreen with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The transfer looks good, though as with lower budget transfers it is not perfect. The colors look good though they are not overly sharp. The compression artifacts crop up from time to time though it’s not frequent enough to cause major problems. They could have tried to clean things up a little better, but I’ve definitely seen worse transfers.
The sound comes in with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. Everything sounds great and there aren’t any real problems with the volume that are worth mentioning. It was not necessary to have to play with the volume, the dialogue was clear, and the sound effects, when present, sounded perfect.
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Bonus Features:
There aren’t really any special features on this disc. The only one is webisodes for the Miss Horrorfest Contest in 2007. The result is a reality type television spot that brings a new mascot to the Horrorfest. The biggest negative here is that the special feature doesn’t have anything to do with the movie. The clips are worth watching though.
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Bottom Line:
Tooth and Nail is a pretty entertaining movie when you look past the small flaw of predictability. It’s not scary though so if you’re a diehard fright fan looking for scares then this won’t be for you. However, if you’re a fan of the actors and like cannibals then this will be right up your alley. The acting here isn’t bad. It’s just a little slow, and that’s hardly the actors fault. If you’re planning to watch it and you can’t catch it on television you might want to rent it first, just in case.
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Technorati Tags: Movie, DVD Review, horror, horrorfest, Tooth and Nail, Robert Carradine, Rider Strong, Cannibals
