"Deaden" is a difficult movie to talk about. I don't have any doubts of my feelings about the picture but it can be an uncomfortable experience to watch for those who don't know about what Viel and Fallon are talking. I was lucky enough to saw this film at its European premiere in Sitges Film Festival. I remark that I saw this film at Sitges because 5 years ago I saw there Kim Ki Duk's "Address unknown". After that screening I called a friend and told him that the Korean master had made a manifest about human cruelty, after seeing "Deaden" I thought that Christian Viel (the director) and John Fallon (the screenwriter, actor and producer) have made a manifest about human rage. The story line is classic, a vengeance movie about the payback that an ex cover policeman, that becomes a drug dealer because of his job, takes against the punks that rape his wife (with a baseball bat in full detail!) and murder his ¡unborn son! (In extreme full detail!). Yeah, I know that it sounds crazy. But think for a moment. If you don't know who the people that made that movie are and someone tells you that this is the plot line of the new Takashi Miike film, all of us would be dying to see this picture. So, what I'm trying to say is that you must see the film without any prejudices. The picture takes us to an unpleasant and nihilistic downward spiral to the last days (almost hours) of a human soul. The history of a man betrayed by a system in which he believed in, first, by becoming what he hate most and after that by being abandoned by them after the brutal murder that I talked before. The movie is sad; yes, it has some macabre gags, but the face of Fallon in the fine montage at the beginning is what marks the tone of the movie. His facial expression is what you're remembering during the picture, because (and that is very intelligent way of using the expectations of the public by the filmmakers) we have seen lots of vigilante films <br /><br />(spoilers!) <br /><br />and we know what he'll do after the revenge is complete and why he'll do that.<br /><br />(End of spoilers) <br /><br />The movie perfectly reflects the anger and the rage that invades you after you're assaulted or your girlfriend is raped or simply when you're humiliated by your boss or betrayed by someone you love. A violent impulse that drives you to your limits and to the dark side of your soul where you reject everything that you believed in, that's what the movie is about and that's what happens to the main character. But to understand that you must see the movie with your mind open and ready to be punch. Because you will be punched, but with style; I hate to comment films talking about other films, but think that the style of the movie is like "PI" in vivid colors, without any budget and on steroids. You'll see a very inventive way to film a guy sniffing cocaine (there's also a VERY funny recurring way that pays tribute to "Scarface") and you'll also see that every killing of this movie is different from each other and most of the them are committed with very unusual weapons (the movie features a new way to play pool that Ruggero Deodato will enjoy a lot). Because, of course, "Deaden" is a serious movie but also a non stop fast paced action picture (filmmakers and editors, take notice of the rhythm) that pays tribute to the 80's and 70's action films; you'll appreciate references to "Dirty Harry", "Death Wish", Chuck Norris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, "Rocky" and all Sly Stallone's films and "Requiem for a dream" (don't be surprised by that, "Deaden" tells a story). And please remember what I told you before; don't have any prejudices when you're seeing that movie. Remember that is an old school action movie with a lot of social comment much more in the line of "Class of '84" (a film that almost only Roger Ebert defended in its premiere) than a Cannon film (that are great in their own way). And to you upcoming filmmakers and actors you must support Viel and Fallon's movie because it is made with little money but with lots of love. A film made by fans for fans. I hope that their next feature will be at the same category of that one, because "Deaden's" cult has just born.