Deadland (2009)

Director:

Damon O'Steen

Writer:

Gary Weeks (writer)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

The Beginning of the End

Plot:

A man must cross post-world war III terrain and the new martial-law to save his missing wife.

Plot Keywords:

Survivor | Plague | Journey | Lost Love | Violence

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Gary Weeks	...	Sean Kalos
Brian Tee	...	Jax
William Katt	...	Shiv
Harrison Page	...	Red
Chad Mathews	...	P.O. Harris
Cullen Douglas	...	Nathaniel
Emily-Grace Murray	...	Katie Johnson
Philip Boyd	...	P.O. Anderson
Mike Lutz	...	P.O. Shockley
Branden Waits	...	P.O. Clarence
Davis Neves	...	Zoona
William Colquitt	...	Commander Rufler
Tony Weeks	...	Harold
Jason-Shane Scott	...	Krannen
Tara Frix	...	Lexi
Jed Davis	...	Pilkens
Adam Hampton	...	P.O. Trucker
Patrick Sean Green	...	P.O. Ruton
Todd Tidwell	...	P.O. Shades
Dru Updegraff	...	L.A. Reporter Steve Abney
Jessica Slusser	...	Receptionist
Sherri Toney	...	Fallen Prisoner
Jamie Millhoff	...	Reporter Fitz
Thomas Alan Beckett	...	Kip
Leigh Hill	...	Pollack
Mark Rickard	...	Tereshinski
Anna Boling	...	Krannen's Sister
Jason Marsh	...	V.P. Zumaya
John Rootlieb	...	Real Estate Agent
Joseph Waldrop	...	P.O. Jacobs (as Joey Waldrop)
Jonathan Cook	...	Pill Officer
Richard Kelly	...	Dr. Pane
Eric Packham	...	Villager #1
Tripp Courtney	...	Rufler's Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Atkinson	...	Office Worker #1
Doug Blackmon	...	Province Officer
Sara Bledsoe	...	Villager
Mike Dixon	...	Province Officer
Emily Gary	...	Villager
Roy Huang	...	Province Officer #4
Denell Johnson	...	Province Officer #2
Jessica Johnson	...	Prisoner
Kathryn Kinev	...	Prisoner
Anne Lawliss	...	Undergrounder
Jason Lawliss	...	Undergrounder
Jill Rytie Lutz	...	Katie's Friend (as Jill Rytie)
Sean Maxwell	...	Province Officer
Summer Moore	...	Undergrounder
Carolyn Namey	...	Wrong Kate
Kenny Pitts	...	Province Officer
Linda Rice	...	Prisoner
Steve Ryan	...	Province Officer #3
Cheryl Slusser	...	Villager
Eric Slusser	...	Villager
Annie Tee	...	Prisoner
Keith Tilque	...	Undergrounder
John Weselcouch	...	Katie's Friend
Estivi Gajardo	...	Snake (uncredited)

Directed by
Damon O'Steen

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gary Weeks		writer

Produced by
Richard Kelly	....	executive producer
Jamie Millhoff	....	producer
Jessica Slusser	....	executive producer (as Jessica Weeks)
Brian Tee	....	producer
Gary Weeks	....	producer
Tony Weeks	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Patrick Morganelli

Cinematography by
Reuben Steinberg

Film Editing by
Harry Frishberg
Max Frishberg

Casting by
Jessica Slusser		(as Jessica Weeks)

Production Design by
Nathaniel West

Art Direction by
Branden Waits

Makeup Department
Dalton Kutsch	....	key makeup artist

Sound Department
Steven Crowder	....	re-recording assistant
Ben Hodges	....	sound mixer: second unit
Paul Losada	....	additional sound mixer: second unit
Steve Sarno	....	boom operator: second unit
Tony Weeks	....	sound mixer
Tony Weeks	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tony Weeks	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Dalton Kutsch	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Ralf Leeb	....	visual effects supervisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Jerad Dane Bensik	....	gaffer: second unit
Patrick Sean Green	....	best boy
Michael G. Hennessy	....	grip
Richard Kelly	....	gaffer
Aidan Mahn	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Chris Martino	....	still photographer
Brian S. Nelson	....	key grip: second unit
Kenny Pitts	....	grip
Todd Tidwell	....	first assistant camera
Joe Y. Wah Jr.	....	grip: second unit

Music Department
Kevin DiBella	....	score recording engineer
Assaf Rinde	....	music editor

Other crew
Kerry Bennett	....	chief intelligence officer
Nick Bledsoe	....	executive consultant
Nick Bledsoe	....	location scout
Sara Bledsoe	....	caterer
Sara Bledsoe	....	executive consultant
Allene Boyett	....	lodging
Jeff Cooper	....	production consultant
Dorothy 'Mama' Gary	....	lodging
Dan Keaton	....	digital assistance
Rick Larter	....	chief engineer
Jill Rytie Lutz	....	script supervisor: second unit (as Jill Rytie)
John Weselcouch	....	production assistant

Thanks
Eric Cameron	....	thanks
Dean Hurley	....	thanks
Reuben Lim	....	thanks
James D. Owens	....	thanks (as Jim Owens)
Alex Ranarivelo	....	special thanks
Florian Stadler	....	thanks
Vee Vitanza	....	thanks
Edson S. Weeks	....	very special thanks

Production Companies

• Deadeye Films

Distributors

• Cut Entertainment Group (2009) (worldwide) (all media)
• Eagle Entertainment (2010) (Australia) (DVD)
• Lightning Media (II) (2010) (USA) (all media)
• Phase 4 Films (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Trans World Associates (2012) (Japan) (all media)

Other Companies

• ABS Payroll & Production Accounting Services  payroll services
• IndieGrip.com  grip and lighting equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content

Runtime:

USA:107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45789) | Australia:MA (2010)

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Deadeye Films

Trivia:

Jax was called Drovic in an earlier draft of the script.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Not so bad post-apocalyptic adventure movie

The relatively low rating (4.5, as of my review) led me to lower my expectations on this low budget, independent movie. I thought it could do with a little more editing and a tighter script, maybe with a bigger payoff at the end. After watching for nearly two hours, the subdued climax wasn't very filling.

Anyways, the meat of the movie concerns a muscle guy looking for his estranged wife, who left him just before World War III broke out. Strangely enough, the muscle guy is supposed to be cubicle worker, I think, and he never really does much hand-to-hand fighting. That leaves me wondering exactly how to classify this movie. I was expecting a scifi/martial arts/adventure movie, like JCVD's Cyborg or Universal Soldier, but this seems to have some pretensions toward being a scifi drama. Unfortunately, the story never really goes anywhere very exciting or interesting, though it kept my attention. If there had been more fight scenes and better stunt work, it would have been a good, poor man's JCVD movie. With a more intelligent script and better direction, it could have been a good, poor man's John Carpenter movie. In the end, we're left with what it is -- entertaining, yet not quite fulfilling. I was admittedly a bit generous in giving it a 7/10, but I think it was good attempt, even if it doesn't quite live up to the potential.