La horde (2009)

An end of the world battle between gangsters, cops and zombies.

Directors:

Yannick Dahan, Benjamin Rocher

Writers:

Arnaud Bordas (scenario), Yannick Dahan (scenario)

Stars:

Claude Perron, Jean-Pierre Martins, Eriq Ebouaney

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Claude Perron	...	Aurore
Jean-Pierre Martins	...	Ouessem
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Adewale
Aurélien Recoing	...	Jimenez
Doudou Masta	...	Bola
Antoine Oppenheim	...	Tony
Jo Prestia	...	José
Yves Pignot	...	René
Adam Pengsawang	...	Le Tchèque
Sébastien Peres	...	Séb
Laurent Demianoff	...	Kim
Alain Figlarz	...	Le concièrge
Stéphane Orsolani	...	Guetteur
Ali Karamoko	...	Ali
Maud Heywang	...	Quadra

Storyline

A group of crooked cops, malevolent gangsters and a horde of walking dead are the centre point of this gruesome, action-packed, tale of retribution and escape. Penned in like animals, on the top floor of a deserted high-rise, these two opposing gangs find they're not alone in the lair of bloodthirsty zombies stalking the corridors of death. Joining forces to survive, they must reach the ground level together or perish. Loaded with a bad ass attitude, guns, axes and extremely creative hand-to-hand combat need to survive, being caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

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Plot Keywords:

black comedy | police brutality | zombie apocalypse | blood | zombie | 

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Genres:

Action | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Le Pacte [France] Official site [Japan]

Country:

France

Language:

French Czech

Release Date:

10 February 2010 (France)

Also Known As:

The Horde

Company Credits

Production Co:

Le Pacte, Coficup, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shown as the closing film at Leeds International Film Festival's "Day Of The Dead" horror film marathon on 7th November, 2009.

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Goofs

After one of the cops was executed by a gangster you can see him still breathing in a later shot.

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Alternate Versions

The version released in Germany is cut by ca. six minutes to secure a "Not under 18" rating.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Venice Film Festival 2009 (2009)

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Soundtracks

V'la l'equipe
Lyrics by Doudou Masta & Despo Rutti
Music by Franck Kodjo Kpanku (as Franck Kpanku D Kodjo)

User Reviews

Fast, frenzied and frenetic

Despite a plethora of zombie films being made around the world in the last ten years, very few of them are actually any good; I think the last one I really enjoyed was the Spanish REC. Good news, then, that the French have finally done themselves proud with THE HORDE, which turns out to be one of the most exciting - and desperate - zombie films of the last few years.

Don't go here looking for originality, because you won't find it. THE HORDE's storyline is nothing to write home about, and the cast is typical for those of us familiar with French cinema like DISTRICT 13. In essence, a group of gangsters, cops and eccentrics are cooped up in a run-down apartment block and forced to fend off the frenzied attacks of the living dead.

The characters are all hard-ass and the script is littered with tough-as-nails dialogue, but along the way there are some genuinely decent performances, particularly from Jean-Pierre Martins and Eriq Ebouaney, whose initial hostility gradually gives way to a grudging respect. But the characters come second to the direction, which is all about tense, close-quarters combat, and the film-makers don't skimp on the bloodshed either. This is a nasty movie, in which the zombies are vicious man-eaters all the way. There's even time for something new, in the form of some breathtaking hand-to-hand combat battles between humans and zombies which are like something out of THE RAID and just as great to watch. THE HORDE is a great little movie and one I'll enjoy rewatching in future.