Rise (2007)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Sebastian Gutierrez

Writer (WGA):

Sebastian Gutierrez (written by)

Release Date:

6 July 2007 (Turkey)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

They didn't leave her alive. They left her UNDEAD.

Plot:

Supernatural thriller in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down.

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Morgue | Goth | Female Reporter | Undead

Cast

Robert Forster	...	Lloyd
Cameron Richardson	...	Collette
Lucy Liu	...	Sadie Blake
Allan Rich	...	Harrison
Samantha Shelton	...	LA Weekly Editor
Kevin Wheatley	...	Ethan Mills
Margo Harshman	...	Tricia Rawlins
Cameron Goodman	...	Kaitlin
Holt McCallany	...	Rourke
James D'Arcy	...	Bishop
Carla Gugino	...	Eve
Michael Chiklis	...	Clyde Rawlins
Paul Cassell	...	Detective Easton
Mako	...	Poe
Sam Cooper	...	Coroner's Assistant

Also Known As:

Rise (USA) (working title)
Rise: Blood Hunter (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, sexuality, nudity, language, and brief drug use.

Runtime:

USA:94 min | 122 min (unrated DVD version)

Country:

USA | New Zealand

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 (cut) | Malaysia:18SG | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | UK:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:18 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Mandate Pictures

Trivia:

This was Mako's last live action film. TMNT (2007) used recorded dialog Mako had performed, making it a voiceover role.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Det. Rawlins is in the hotel with Sadie, he remarks about her fast regeneration process after her back heals almost immediately from being shot. Later, when he lifts her off the meat hook to save her, she still has her foot injury from the stabbing by Poe sometime earlier.

Quotes:

Sadie Blake: Here I thought bartenders were supposed to be like priests.

Movie Connections:

References Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

Rising from out of the ashes of the theatrical version...

It pleases me to report that RISE works brilliantly in its original 122-minute version. The use of non-linear storytelling is handled masterfully by writer and director Sebastian Gutierrez, and along with the beautifully lush cinematography of John Toll, these devices go a long way in giving the film an edge that most other horror films can only dream of. But then, RISE is so much more than a "mere" horror film, as it is just as heavily rooted in gritty film noir and hard boiled revenge thrillers like KISS ME DEADLY and POINT BLANK, and Gutierrez effortlessly mixes these different genres into one helluva potent cocktail. He is also greatly helped in making this sell by Lucy Liu, as her acting in this film is completely off the chart. This is without a doubt the finest and most daring performance she has ever given, and the raw emotion she dishes out in certain scenes is nothing short of astounding. So... in the cinematic tradition of vampire films like THE HUNGER, NEAR DARK, and THE ADDICTION, Sebastian Gutierrez's RISE is most definitely a worthy addition to the list.