The Living and the Dead (2006)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

I don't really have anything new to say about this film.... all the other negative reviews say the same as I thought during watching it; I just felt it has far too many positive reviews, and that just isn't right. I really can't remember the last time I saw such an infuriatingly stupid, bad film. The only reason I came across this film was because it was likened to "haunting in Connecticut" (which I found to be a relatively entertaining no-brainer)here on IMDb! I am in no rush to check out any of the director's other masterpieces. This was SO unrealistic. If it would have gone for a magic realism approach from a director like Julio Madem or Kim Ki Duk, or a surreal approach from someone like David Lynch, then maybe, just maybe it could have got away with the unacceptable events taking place in this film. I mean, come on. Setting up theatre IN THE HOUSE (!), performing some serious kind of operation there(there would be some serious scarring and everything), and then just putting her back to bed and leaving? Apparently she was all better though. And leaving the schizophrenic son to hide out in his room, after nearly poisoning his mother to death... no one, not even his father, seem to check up on him, or even know exactly where he had got to. Then both incidents involving the knife... Jesus! As already mentioned, Julian Donkeyboy, Memento and The Machinist have all dealt with mental illness, disorientation and guilt in much better ways. They should not even be a comparison. And then there was the film making itself. The terrible house music, speeding up of cameras (to depict the characters "crazy" outlook on things), the dream sequences ("scared scarred"!),and dialogue from earlier in the film overlapping inside someone's head with extra reverb all just stank of mid-nineties college movie to me. The whole thing left me seething. Hence the review. I never normally write them, I tend to hate critics cause they don't usually get where the creator is coming from, and they don't create themselves, they just complain about how they could never do it better themselves. I am certainly no film maker, but I think even I could have done a better job of this one, which would include re plotting, re writing, re scripting, and re shooting. And being a musician I'd redo all the music. The score was actually OK though (just not the boom boom stuff), and the acting was all fine, sometimes quite impressive. I was pleased to see Trigger from only fools and horses pop up. But had this film contained Johnny Depp, Robert Deniro and Mickey Rourke (as the mother), it would have played no better than it would with Keanu Reeves, George Bush and Gerry Halliwell under this director and writer. Sorry mate. Try harder.

That I can't believe I'm even giving it 2/10. If the goal was to make a movie that was dull, boring, tedious and depressing, it was achieved. Thank God its only 80 minutes. Anymore and I may have knifed myself..hahaha. If you have nothing better to do and need something to put you to sleep late at night, place this in the DVD player and nod off. The dream sequence is a highlight in creative stupidity. Whats that on the father's head but a crown of burning candles??...you have to be kidding me......BOO! What a waste of time...whomever wrote the "One of the best film's I've ever seen" on the cover was either paid by the director or has been living in a cave for the last 20 years.

I first heard about this film by reading a very brief description in a magazine about new DVD releases.The cover art was captivating and dark.At first I thought it was a ghost story or some other type of horror movie before I realized it was a psychological drama. I especially liked Leo Bells acting playing a very mentally challenged young man.He moves in a unique way because of the characters mental state. The super fast motion of the son off his medication gave me an adrenalin rush.It was effective but hard on the eyes.It was a nice contrast to all the other characters in their normal state moving slowly through life.It seemed very isolated and lonely in that big mansion and I could see why the father needed a break from it all and left.Also convincing was Kate Fahy playing the disabled mother.The movie had it's share of confusing moments. Just when you think it's over it starts over and you are not sure if what happened actually did or if it was a dream or delusion.One minute the wife is confined to a bed and the next she is playing caregiver to James.And at times it's hard to tell whether it's James who is ill or his father Donald as it flashes between 2 different reality's.Or it is years later and an aging Donald is remembering his past.I will have to watch it again to try and figure it out better.

I thought this movie was great, A lot of people commented on it falling short of the 'horror' genre, but I don't think it was ever meant to be one. Watch it as a tragic drama, and these disappointments fade. I think Leo Bill did a fantastic job and I felt drawn into his character even further by the camera's exceptional use as he moves about the house. I don't want to spoil anything, so suffice to say it was a well acted movie with great camera-work, an exceptional cast and the overlying doom which permeated throughout the movie drew me in sometimes - enough to identify with some the universal aspects of the story and at times feel a shudder through my back, more so than any 'horror' show I've seen in the last few years.