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Brotherhood of Blood
The Movie:
Brotherhood Of Blood follows a woman named Carrie Rieger (Victoria Pratt) who leads a small band of renegade vampire hunters who make their livings by killing of the bloodsuckers and stealing their schwag. When Carrie finds out that the brother of businessmen who went to Transylvania may have recently changed over and become a vampire is in the area, she and her crew decide to go out and take him down. What Carrie doesn't know is that the vampires who live in the area are also after this man, because he's apparently he's the reincarnated vampire king named Vlad Kossel. When Vlad was first killed, centuries ago, it took the combined efforts of the humans and the vampires to stop him but this time around it doesn't look like anyone wants to cooperate with anyone - nor does it appear that the reincarnated Vlad has lost any of his powers and he's still kind of pissed off about being killed way back when...
Written and directed by the team of Peter Scheerer and Michael Roesch, Brotherhood Of Blood does a good job of showcasing cult movie favorites Sid Haig and Ken Foree on the cover art. Know ahead of time that the two are not in the movie all that much - they're there, and their roles are fun, but they don't get nearly as much screen time as the cover art would like you to believe.
In terms of pacing, Brotherhood Of Blood has some problems. It wants to be an action/horror film but it is dragged down at times but some fairly talky scenes that don't add much of anything to the picture and really only serve to slow it down. The film tries to play up the real identity of Vlad Kossel in a Usual Suspects kind of way but it doesn't succeed in holding our interest long enough for that to really work very well at all. The film begins in the middle of the story and then bounces around from past to present but there's never any real reason for this - do we just assume that this is what the writers wanted? It doesn't help the story at all, it simply makes things a little confusing in a couple of spots.
So with the plot muddied up, does the film at least deliver any solid scare or memorable set pieces? Not really. There is a decent amount of bloodshed here in one scene involving Foree that might make this one appeal to those looking for a cheap gore fix but the film delivers nothing in terms of lasting horror - any impact that it does have is purely superficial. There isn't anything remarkable about the picture in terms of sets or cinematography and the costumes aren't any better, neither is the score. Everything about the film is completely forgettable.
You definitely get the impression that Scheerer and Roesch had their hearts in the right places. Brotherhood Of Blood does at least try to infuse the tired vampire genre with some new blood and there are a couple of interesting ideas at work but sadly, they just don't pay off. The film winds up a dull and tedious exercise, one that will would likely have never been seen much in the first place were it not for Haig and Foree's attachment to the project.
The Video:
Brotherhood Of Blood looks fine on this DVD thanks to a well authored 1.78.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Color reproduction is decent enough and the black levels stay strong throughout the movie. A couple of shots look a bit soft and there's a bit of aliasing here and there but these are minor problems that most people aren't likely to notice unless they're looking for them in the first place. Skin tones look nice and lifelike and there aren't any problems with mpeg compression artifacts to complain about. Detail levels look about average and for the most part the picture quality is fine.
The Audio:
The English language 5.1 Surround Sound mix is of decent enough quality and it comes with optional subtitles in English and Spanish. Surrounds aren't used as often as they could have been but the rears do kick in from time to time and add some excitement to the soundscape. Bass response is strong while dialogue remains crisp and clear. Once or twice the levels get a bit high but aside from those instances the mix is properly balanced and there aren't any problems with hiss or distortion to complain about. Even if this isn't reference quality, it's pretty good.
The Extras:
The supplements start off with a commentary track courtesy of co-writers/co-directors Peter Scheerer and Michael Roesch who are joined by cast member Sid Haig. Considering that Scheerer and Roesch are German and that therefore English is a second language to them it's understandable that they don't have as much to say as the always talkative Haig who does a good job of keeping things moving at a decent pace. They talk about shooting the film on a soundstage, casting the picture, writing and directing the film and some of the effects set pieces. There are a few too many instances where the track slows down to a snail's pace, however, so this is likely only going to really appeal to those who really enjoyed the film.
The extras continue with a quick behind the scenes featurette that features some marginally interesting footage shot on the set of the film. It isn't very deep and at just over five minutes in length it doesn't get into too much detail about any one thing but if you want a quick look at the cast and crew doing their thing, this'll scratch that itch. On top of that, look for interviews with Victoria Pratt, Sid Hair, and Ken Foree all of whom talk about what they liked about the project and why they signed on for it in the first place. Again, they're fairly brief and superficial.
Rounding out the extra features are some trailers, some storyboards, animated menus and a chapter selection option for the feature.
Overall:
Lionsgate has done a fine job on the presentation and an alright job on the supplements but Brotherhood Of Blood never really fires on all cylinders and it turns out to be a boring and poorly made film. Skip it.
Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.
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