Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz
Reviews
andrew taylor-smith
The popular Outpost franchise gets third outing with a prequel, OUTPOST : Rise of the Spetsnaz, an origins story rooted in the aftermath of WW2. After the short prologue, we join a Russian unit (The Elite Special Forces known as the Spetsnaz) whilst on a stakeout mission for Nazi blood. They’re a rag tag bunch; disguised in part by the garments of fallen Nazis - sporting their wardrobe and Nazi insignia. They makes easy work of the first wave of unsuspecting Germans, but just as their leader discovers some sinister paraphernalia, they are out gunned by a backup fleet sporting more hardware that sends them fleeing to the forest. Their leader, one Dolokhov is captured and taken to the experiment chamber of an underground bunker where the origins of this action packet saga come to light. Followers or the previous two films will appreciate the attention to detail that director Kieran Parker and Rae Brunton have cultivated here. It’s subtle enough not to indulge one too much in what we’ve already come to like about the series. Several characters emerge in numerous Zombie guises recognisable in the labyrinth of shudder-some corridors. It’s not long before the unit are pitted against the sinister and barbaric regime orchestrating their evil deeds and using them as test subjects for something far more inhuman and sinister. What transpires is most action packet of the series so far. It’s littered with a high body count and some well executed fight sequences. There are also great moments of tension and some dry humour thrown in too. There’s even space for the occasional Russian proverb - Trouble never comes alone… It’s not without its less shining moments. The ending, although brutal came about too quickly and easily. A potentially life-saving amount of weaponry would have helped our assailants to safety was never used. They dispose of the Nazi’s with mere firepower and some combat when there was an entire army at the Reich’s disposal. This spoiled it for me. That said it is not a dull film, not in the slightest. It just had too much action and not enough danger placed on the surviving Russians. This marks Kieran Parker’s directorial debut after story writing and producing the previous two films, Outpost and Outpost : Black sun. It’s a commendable turn, particularly in the action sequences. The central performances are strong too. Bryan Larkin’s Dolokhov has huge presence , his seemingly imperious demeanour showing signs of cracking under the terrors. He’s hulking, stoic and commanding. Meanwhile Michael McKell’s sneering Strasser, the unhinged Nazi overlord is brimming with a measure of the sadist and eccentric. It leaves it open for a sequel. Some may welcome it but will the zombies rise again or has it been a good series needing to resign from the Outpost?
Movie Recommendation
The Eagle2011-02-08In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia - to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth.More...
Vanishing Point1971-01-15Kowalski works for a car delivery service, and takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to drive from Colorado to San Francisco. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours.More...
Outpost2008-03-11In a seedy bar in a town ravaged by war, scientist and businessman Hunt hires mercenary and former Royal Marine D.C. to assemble a crack team of ex-soldiers to protect him on a dangerous journey into no-man's land. Their mission is to scope out an old military bunker in Eastern Europe. It should be easy – 48 hours at the most. Lots of cash for little risk. Or so he says...More...
Outpost: Black Sun2012-04-25A pair of investigators team up with a Special Forces Unit to venture deep inside a war raging between the military and a massive army of Nazi Zombie Stormtroopers. Their mission is to fight their way behind enemy lines, locate the technology at the source of this growing threat and prevent the seemingly inevitable rise of the 4th Reich.More...![[REC]²](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original//fJuIhJ5s8WGNZN3wuk9d84nMjXk.jpg)
[REC]²2009-09-15The action continues from [REC], with the medical officer and a SWAT team outfitted with video cameras are sent into the sealed off apartment to control the situation.More...
The Theory of Everything2014-11-07The Theory of Everything is the extraordinary story of one of the world’s greatest living minds, the renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who falls deeply in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde.More...
Hot Fuzz2007-02-14Former London constable Nicholas Angel finds it difficult to adapt to his new assignment in the sleepy British village of Sandford. Not only does he miss the excitement of the big city, but he also has a well-meaning oaf for a partner. However, when a series of grisly accidents rocks Sandford, Angel smells something rotten in the idyllic village.More...
Aladdin1992-11-25In the boorish city of Agrabah, kind-hearted street urchin Aladdin and Princess Jasmine fall in love, although she can only marry a prince. He and power-hungry Grand Vizier Jafar vie for a magic lamp that can fulfill their wishes.More...
The Silence of the Lambs1991-02-14Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.More...
Interstellar2014-11-05The adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.More...
Fight Club1999-10-15A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.More...
Mystic River2003-10-07The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them suffers a family tragedy.More...
Oldboy2003-11-21With no clue how he came to be imprisoned, drugged and tortured for 15 years, a desperate man seeks revenge on his captors.More...
The Shawshank Redemption1994-09-23Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.More...
The Intouchables2011-11-02A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.More...
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice2016-03-23Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.More...
Blade Runner1982-06-25In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.More...
Heat1995-12-15Obsessive master thief Neil McCauley leads a top-notch crew on various daring heists throughout Los Angeles while determined detective Vincent Hanna pursues him without rest. Each man recognizes and respects the ability and the dedication of the other even though they are aware their cat-and-mouse game may end in violence.More...
Rosemary's Baby1968-06-12A young couple, Rosemary and Guy, moves into an infamous New York apartment building, known by frightening legends and mysterious events, with the purpose of starting a family.More...
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix2007-07-08Returning for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts, Harry is stunned to find that his warnings about the return of Lord Voldemort have been ignored. Left with no choice, Harry takes matters into his own hands, training a small group of students to defend themselves against the dark arts.More...