The Horde (2009)

There is always an argument among zombie purists. Should the walk slow as in most zombie films, or can they run? This is the running type, so the purists may be disappointed.

Yes, there was blood and gore - plenty of it. No self-respecting zombie movie can exist without it, just as no self-respecting vampire movie would eschew blood for glitter.

It was non-stop action from start to finish. As you would expect in real life, it was loud, very loud. These people were literally screaming for their lives.

The ending was predicable, but effective nonetheless. Just could not take my eyes off Claude Perron (Amélie) throughout the film. She did a superb job, as did Eriq Ebouaney (Lumumba, Hit-man, Transporter 3).

Fmovies: The French have been enjoying something of a horror renaissance in recent years, giving us some of the scariest and bloodiest movies that the genre has had to offer; La Horde, an apocalyptic zombie movie in the vein of Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead and Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, continues this trend, being a hugely entertaining Gallic gore-fest packed with superbly executed edge-of-the-seat horror action.

The film sees a team of vigilante cops break into a dilapidated tower block in order to exact justice on the gangsters responsible for the death of one of their colleagues; the vicious criminals turn the tables on the lawmen, however, but before they can carry out the execution of their prisoners, an outbreak of the undead forces a change of plan: the bad guys must reluctantly team up with the cops if they stand any chance of escaping from the zombie infested building alive.

Although the whole zombie siege schtick has been done to death since Romero's Night of the Living Dead way back in '68, directors Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher attack their oft-told tale with so much vigour that this fact is easily forgiven. The spot-on direction, excellent decayed urban setting, gloriously splattery effects (enhanced by carefully considered use of CGI), and a whole lot of extreme fire-power combine to deliver a non-stop roller-coaster ride of splendidly gory action, whilst well drawn characters with emotional depth serve to enrich the film's basic set-up.

With several brutal fist-fights between the living and the hideous screeching zombies, a thrilling, bullet riddled, blood drenched last half hour and a satisfyingly bleak, but perfectly fitting ending, La Horde is not only one of the most enjoyable of the new-wave of French horror films, but also one of the most kick-ass zombie films ever.

8.5 out of 10, rounded up to 9 for IMDb.

a very good french zombie film. It ticks all the boxes and has enough gore and dark humor for 'zombie' and horror fans. A cult film that is well acted, shot and is so much more fun than Dawn of the Dead style Hollywood films.

PLOT - a gang in a high rise flat are busted by undercover police. When the gang kill one of the cops it all goes wrong. Cue hundreds of zombies, weapons and hack and slash survival gore (with sick humor thrown in). Oh and of course there is the old clichéd 'has been bitten' rows.

Don't take it seriously and enjoy this mindless zombie survival fest, in a council tower block. It is like a French version of 28 Days Later.

Like Zombies? Bored? Try THE HORD :)

The Horde fmovies. La Horde has to be the best zombie film, or action film for that matter, that I've seen in a long time.

The story starts out with bent cops out to avenge the killing of another policeman by gangsters. The tension and action were so good from the outset I was almost wishing it wasn't about to become a zombie film. When it did, I wasn't disappointed.

The action is fast and brutal and is broken up with genuinely funny, but very dark, humour. The pace of the film doesn't let up by not getting bogged down in explaining the reasons or cures for the zombies, instead focusing on the tensions in the uneasy alliance between the police and the gangsters.

My single criticism of the film is that it shouldn't be openly advertised as a zombie film, leaving their arrival as a surprise. But this doesn't stop this being the one of the finest action or zombie films around, I highly recommend it. See it as soon as you can!

La Horde is probably the best action film of the year. It doesn't work as an out and out horror but it is a balls out insane action film. The plot in cops and criminals join forces in a tower block as the End of Days happens and the dead return as bloodthirsty aggressive zombies. If you like action brutal, bloody and violent then see this. The plot isn't anything original but this film has verve by the bucketload. The scares are good and the tension is slowly built higher and higher. The only complaint is that the ending isn't clever despite being different.

Go see it if you love robocop/28 days later/dawn of the dead.

Great fun.

When detective Mathias Rivoallan is found murdered by the gang led by the Nigerian Markudi (Eriq Ebouaney), detectives Jimenez (Aurélien Recoing), Aurore (Claude Perron), Ouessem (Jean-Pierre Martins) and Tony (Antoine Oppenheim) decide to revenge the death of his friend. The vigilantes plot bloodshed, executing Markudi, his brother Bola (Doudou Masta) and the other gangsters in the abandoned building where they are gathered. However, things go wrong when the watchman arrives and the violent gang subdues the quartet and tortures them. Meanwhile, the lookouts of the gang hear explosions, sirens and the weird sound of rabble. Sooner the survivors discover that the building is under siege of a horde of walking dead and the hungered zombies want to eat them. Ouesseem and Aurore team up with Markudi, Bola, Grego (Jo Prestia) and the veteran René (Yves Pignot) and together they have to fight against the zombies trying to find an exit from the building.

"La Horde" is an insanely gore and violent French horror film. The gore recalls "Braindead", but without the black humor of the trash cult movie of Peter Jackson. The plot is full of action, but none of the characters is likable. The origin of the walking dead is not developed and has only a minor explanation on television that mentions an epidemic. On the contrary of George Romero's slow zombies, in this flick they run like hell. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Legião do Mal" ("Legion of the Evil")