Outpost (2008)



Movie Title: Outpost

Year Released: 2008

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 30m

Genre: Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, War

Director: Steve Barker

Writer: Rae Brunton

Starring: Ray Stevenson, Julian Wadham, Richard Brake, Paul Blair, Brett Fancy, Enoch Frost, Julian Rivett, Michael Smiley, Johnny Meres,

Review: In a war-torn region of Eastern Europe, a mysterious businessman hires a group of mercenaries to accompany and assist in recovering a long-lost secret that could be worth an unfathomable fortune. But when these battle-hardened men discover haunting hostiles have surrounded them they find themselves fixed for a fight with forces beyond any nightmare scenario anyone has ever experienced. Prepare to experience the horrors of war at the Outpost.

My dad gave me this on DVD and told me that I might like it because it was "freaky". So I read the premise and thought, "Oh, Nazi Zombies. That's not become a tired horror sub-genre." With the horrible cover art I suspected that this one could very well be a dud, but I do enjoy the Ray Stevenson, mercs trying to fight their way out of an impossible situation, and creepy underground bunkers, so I gave this one a shot... and I was quite impressed.

Each of the mercenaries are distinct, tough, and cold-blooded, but as things escalates they begin to show real fear. Stevenson is great as the gruff leader. He's definitely the guy you want in charge when things go sideways. Richard Brake, Michael Smiley, and Paul Blair all bring their best playing these soldiers of fortune.

The most impressive part of Outpost is its production design, specifically, the mysterious bunker. It's claustrophobic, creepy, and truly the thing of nightmares. The moment our band of battle-scared brothers arrive there you immediately feel uneasy. And then it's not long for things to go from bad to worse when a rather unique science fiction element is introduced. It's quite clever and used well so that our antagonists can enter the picture.

This one definitely has a little Night of the Living Dead (1968) feel to it, but don't let that turn you off to it if that's not your thing, there are no Nazi Zombies like in Dead Snow (2009), which came out the following year. I don't want to spoil what these guys are up against. What's the fun in that? Oh, and there's some Predator (1987) sprinkled in here, too!

This one is kind of a hard sell without spoiling it so I gonna stop, but if you would enjoy seeing some solid soldiers battle forces the likes of which they have never experienced before in the field or in their worst nightmares then this "freaky" frightener just might have you waving a white flag before the end credits. So hunker down and see if you can survive the Outpost.

Stars (out of 4):
       

Fun Fact: When DC pulls out the pistol from its holder in the generator chamber, its sound is identical to Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001) when the player swaps weapons. Similarly, when the soldiers emerge from the truck, the slamming noise is the same as in RTCW when the player attempts to open a locked wooden door.


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