Review of Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2011) by Bobby L — 30 Apr 2011

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!

If âBuffy the Vampire Slayerâ? had a kid with âLucky # Slevin,â? this neo-noir/ action/ horror/ comedy would be the result. Surprisingly, it not only manages to be competent and juggle all its genres well, but ends up being pretty damn phenomenal.

Right after the opening title, which includes a moody, expositional noir voice-over from our main character, we get our proper introduction to Dylan, and it is a doozy. Brandon Routh's titular character is asleep on the couch, when a gun gets point in his face. This wakes him up. The intruder yammers on about how Dylan ruined his life. Dylan remains calm and proceeds to explain to this man how and why he (the man) is terrible at threatening people. Dylan then asks why this guy is so mad at him. Pictures are shown, Dylan punches the guy, and then gets the guy to hire Dylan to get dirt on the soon to be ex. Marcus (Sam Huntington) enters, just as the man is leaving. Marcus asks Dylan, âDid that guy have a gun?â? Fiddling a bit with his clarinet (in a nod to the original comics), Dylan just shrugs.

I was in hysterics the whole time, more or less. That opening scene does a wonderful job of introducing Dylan, his mindset, sensibilities, and how he handles himself in dangerous situations. Routh plays it completely straight, which is the only way to make that sort of thing work. His continued narration (it is heavily used) is wary and jaded, but also a bit playful. He makes it work damn well. His chemistry with Huntington is very good, and the deadpan plays well off of Huntington's more slapsticky style. Routh's delivery of one-liners is quite applause worthy, with the standout being, âYou punch like a vampire.â? Is there any better insult to give a werewolf? No, probably not. Routh has a lot to shoulder, with the tragic backstory and all the noir-trappings that brings, but also with the bulk of the action scenes involve him, plus needing to react to the horror elements and keep up with the comedy. I am pleased to report he does it all with extreme ease and charisma. He's also still buff as hell, and looks fine without a shirt. This is the best acting I have seen from him so far.

Huntington for his part, never makes his sidekick role one note, and gets the most out of just a few looks of absolute disgust. His character, Marcus, becomes a zombie early on, and he refuses to eat the âzombie's buffet,â? an assortment of worms and other such dirt dwelling creatures. It's a running joke I never got tired of, and its resolution is amusing. Also, his arc from coward to zombie-badass-hero is fun, and his only real action sequence works well.

The script is whip-smart, and the dialogue flows well. Never being too talky, and subverting the tropes of each given genre, while at the same time utilizing those tropes to its own advantage. Scribes Thomas Donnelley and Joshua Oppenheimer, using the popular comic as a jumping off point, show a love for the horror films of yesteryear, and give us a new spin on these classic monsters (werewolves, vampires, and zombies mostly) while still respecting their origins and mythology. One of the best written scenes is when Marcus goes to a Zombie Anonymous meeting. He introduces himself, and tells how he's trying to adjust to being (un)dead, and all that jazz. He then asks for some important information about an uber-zombie to help Dylan solve the case, just to be told this:

âWe come from a proud line of cowards,â? in reference to why he shouldn't go to the 'Forbidden Zone' to destroy the thing. So damn funny!

Also, any script that deals with cannibal zombies gets immediate awesome points.

Anita Briem stars as our female lead, Elizabeth. She's the one that hires Dylan since she thinks a werewolf killed her dad (he totally did). Their chemistry is good, and they have a nice immediate affinity. Some later revelations change how her character is perceived and shows off how well Briem does here, as they are not only 100% convincing, but make her acting throughout the rest of the film that much trickier. However, she never makes the role too showy, as that would have conflicted with the vibe of the rest of the film.

Taye Diggs plays the main villain, the vampire Vargas, with a delicious zest that is both appealing and frightening. Plus it's also fun to see him. Peter Stormare plays one of the leaders of the werewolves, and chews scenery as if he hasn't eaten in a few years; it's hilarious! Wrestling fans, all of you guys will be pleased to know that despite limited screentime, Kurt Angle is memorable, and his fight with Routh is well done.

The action scenes are quite awesome, and never got stale or repetitive. The end fight with the demon Bealious(sp?) utilizes the abandoned theater set very well, and we always know who is where in relation to the other combatants. However, my favorite is when Dylan and Marcus drive their car into Vargas' mansion, in the middle of the day. Using an arsenal that puts Colombian druglords to shame, our hero starts firing pointed flares at the bloodsuckers. The camera angles, lots of medium, up shots of Dylan, with the sun blazing around him, really do a lot to turn him into one badass mofo.

Kevin Munroe's directing style balances a lot, and never loses sight of the end goal. He manages a few impressive jump scares, allows the comedy to work naturally, and does a good job of keeping the action flowing. With all that's going on, and how ambitious this is, I am impressed he didn't get lost or bogged down with any single genre. Nimbly combining all the genres, and showing off the same stylistic flair he did in the fun âTMNT,â? I am quite looking forward to see what he'll deliver next.

The film was shot on a digital camera, but that didn't deter DP Geoffrey Hall (perhaps best known for the Eric Bana starring âChopperâ?) from making this look as good as possible. Some films that are filmed on a digital camera can look home movie-ish, but not here. The scenes have great depth to them, with a great crisp look, even in the more grungy settings. The lighting is also good, and even during the dead of night scenes, it's never too dark to see what's going on. Filming on location in New Orleans lent a nice sense of authenticity to the classic gothic atmosphere being built.

Selling that mood perfectly, though, are the excellent sets. Elizabeth' father's house is filled with priceless imports, and it has long corridors, much like a museum. To contrast, Dylan's apartment is cramped, jumbled, and broken. By large and far the most expansive and interesting set design is for the vampires' club, where they sell their blood as a drug to âbreathersâ? (mortals). From the outside, it's like a sprawling estate got smashed together with a brand new skyscraper. The inside looks like a typical club, but it's the details that work so well. The rave-like lighting, the lounge chairs and couches strewn about. The dragon emblem on the floor. It's a great looking set. I'd love to go to a club that looked like this in real life.

No matter how well made and acted this was, if the creature designs were poor or laughably executed, all of it could have crumbled away. Luckily, we have some excellent, mostly practical designs. While the look of the vampires, werewolves, and zombies are nothing new, the make-up is excellent, especially on Diggs and for Bealious. Bealious looks like Tim Curry's Lord Of Darkness by way of a zombie-imp, and is very original. CGI is used sparingly, mostly for transformation sequences, and is effective.

The props department created several unique and cool items, but Dylan's medicine bag, filled with all the tools of his undead/ supernatural sleuthing trade, has the most character to it. Oddly though, there's not much to it. Black, a bit dusty, clearly overfilled. Maybe it was the fantastic reveal, or how important it becomes, I am not sure, but this prop was awesome!

The score helps to sell the dread immensely. Never overbearing, or too quiet, it's catchy and a solid listen. The songs that populate the soundtrack are also good, with what sounded like a decent number of bands from that area to add some authenticity.

By large and far, though, the most spectacular thing this movie did was make me really want a sequel. Not all films need a sequel, even if they are good/ fun. IE- âWaxwork IIâ? is good, if wholly unnecessary, and âWall Street: Money Never Sleepsâ? is fun and stylish, but has no proper reason to exist. However, the world of Dylan Dog and the undead crimes he investigates has limitless potential, and I really want to see more of his, his friends, and his world's stories come to life.

This movie is a fantastic and hysterical hybrid that strikes just the right balance of tone, with game actors, good practical effects, and neat set designs. An absolute must see!