28 YEARS LATER : Tuesday 24th June 2025

I saw the MA15+ Rated '28 YEARS LATER' at my local independent movie theatre this week, and this post-apocalyptic horror film is Co-Produced and Directed by Danny Boyle, and Written and Co-Produced by Alex Garland. It is the third in the '28 Days Later' film series, following 2002's '28 Days Later' and 2007's '28 Weeks Later', and is reportedly the first instalment in a new trilogy of films, of which the second film was shot back-to-back and titled '28 Years Later : The Bone Temple' which was Directed by Nia DaCosta, Written by Garland, and Produced by Boyle and Garland, and is due for release in mid-January 2026. The first two films in the franchise grossed a total Box Office haul of US$172M from combined production budgets of US$23M. The film went on release here in Australia, in the US and the UK last week, has so far grossed US$69M from a production budget of US$60M and has generated largely favourable critical reviews.

The films open in 2002, during the initial outbreak of the Rage Virus, where a group of young children are sat around a small TV screen watching an episode of the 'Teletubbies' in a remote house somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. A young lad named Jimmy (Rocco Haynes) flees from the house after being attacked by his infected family, in which all the other children are killed. He runs for shelter to the nearby church, where he finds his father (Sandy Batchelor), the local vicar, praying. Believing the outbreak to be the Day of Judgment, the vicar interprets the virus as an indicator of the end of times. He gives Jimmy a crucifix necklace and urges him to flee before allowing himself to be overwhelmed by a horde of the infected, so giving Jimmy the opportunity to hide and ultimately escape.

We then fast forward 28 years and although the Rage Virus has been eradicated from mainland Europe, the British Isles remains in indefinite quarantine, patrolled by offshore ships from across the continent. A survivor community lives on the tidal island of Lindisfarne, off the northeast coast of England, connected by a fortified causeway that is only passable at low tide. Among them are Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a scavenger; his wife Isla (Jodie Comer), who has an unknown illness that keeps her virtually bedridden; and their twelve-year-old son Spike (Alfie Williams). Jamie takes Spike to the mainland for a coming-of-age ritual. Village leadership reminds Spike of the dangers of leaving the island and while he is free to go beyond and return at will, search and rescue missions will not be launched for those who do not return.

On the mainland, after Spike has made his first kill of an infected, they make their way to an abandoned and dilapidated cottage where they find an infected, hanging upside down from the rafters by his feet and with a plastic bag over his head and with the name 'Jimmy' carved into his torso. A short time later they  encounter a pack of infected led by an Alpha, a mutated variant of the infected who are stronger and more intelligent. Returning to the cottage chased by the infected, Jamie is able to kill most of them with his bow and arrows as they escape into the attic. 

As the evening closes in they observe boats patrolling the sea and a fire burning up the coast in the distance. A stampeding deer herd triggers the partial collapse of the cottage, and Jamie and Spike are able to get out just in time. They return to Lindisfarne as the tide rises above the causeway to knee height, pursued by the Alpha who almost catches up to the pair, until sentries located in a look out tower use a large homemade crossbow loaded with a burning arrow to kill it. 

During a raucous celebration in which Jamie calls his son a Giant Killer and over exaggerates the number of infected Spike slayed, the boy witnesses his father kissing Rosey (Amy Cameron) and runs off in shock. He returns home to his grandfather who is looking after Spike's mother and learns that the fire was more than likely lit by Dr. Ian Kelson, a reclusive survivor on the mainland whom the villagers fear. According to rumours, dating back fifteen years, Kelson had been seen burning bodies in what seemed to be a ritualistic fashion. Disillusioned with his father, Spike secretly returns to the mainland with his mother, hoping to locate Kelson so that he can provide the necessary treatment for her. While resting for the night in a church, Isla kills an infected who had crept up on Spike, in her disconnected condition not recalling the next morning how it happened.

Swedish NATO soldier Erik Sundqvist (Edvin Ryding) and his unit are forced ashore after their patrol boat sinks off the coast of Scotland. Erik is the only survivor after an Alpha and a pack of infected attacked his unit. He comes across Spike and Isla in a run down Happy Eater roadside restaurant, rescuing them from another pack as the restaurant explodes in a ball of flame as a result of leaking benzene inside that had built up over many years. Erik joins their search for Kelson. The group comes across a derailed passenger train and Isla finds a pregnant infected woman inside one of the carriages temporarily exhibiting semi-docile behaviour, whom she helps give birth to an uninfected infant girl. 

Believing the baby is infected, Erik kills the mother in a hail of bullets and prepares to kill the child, but another dominant Alpha hearing the commotion intervenes and rips his head off. The Alpha chases Spike and Isla through the carriages and out across the surrounding fields, until Kelson (Ralph Fiennes) appears and subdues it with a morphine-laced blowdart. 

Taking the head of Erik, Kelson leads Spike, Isla, and the infant to his sanctuary, which is a temple built from sterilised bones of the countless number of bodies that have perished over the years from the virus, which he describes as his 'memento mori', which he explains to Spike means 'remember to die'. He later hands the skull of Erik to Spike to place on his temple.

After examining Isla, and using the limited resources he has available Kelson deduces that she has terminal cancer that has metastasized. Spike pleads with Kelson to cure her, but he explains that he is unable to do anything for his mother. At her request, he incapacitates Spike and euthanises her with a morphine dart. He later brings her sterilised skull to Spike, who climbs to the top of the temple and places it there as a memorial as the sun comes up. After another confrontation with the Alpha, Spike and Kelson escape, and Kelson encourages Spike to go home. Spike returns to Lindisfarne alone, leaving Isla (the uninfected baby whom he named after his mother) at the gate to the village with a note for Jamie explaining her origins and saying he will return when ready. Jamie, realising Spike is alone now on the mainland, tries to chase after him, but is prevented from doing so by the rising tide covering the causeway.

28 days later, Spike is seen on the mainland by the side of the road cooking a fish on an open camp fire when not far away he sees an infected, and waits until the infected is nearly upon him before killing it with his bow and arrow. When another appears Spike starts to run but when he rounds a corner his way his blocked by a steep rock fall. While trying to evade the infected, Spike is rescued by a gang of 'Jimmies' styled after Jimmy Savile, led by an adult Jimmy (Jack O'Connell) all dressed in garish track suits, with long blond hair and gold chains around their necks and gold rings on their fingers. After the Jimmies have dispensed with all the infected, Jimmy, with the inverted crucifix his father gave him around his neck, offers his hand to Spike in a sign of friendship and respect. 

With '28 Years Later' Director Danny Boyle and scribe Alex Garland have expanded on the world first seen in their two earlier films in the series, and delivered us with a zombie flick that morphs into a coming of age story with raw unbridled emotion at its heart, delivered by top notch performances from Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Alfie Williams. When the violence comes its pretty graphic, as is to be expected from a world inhabited by the infected, but don't rely on jump scares or the intensity of its predecessors if that's what you're looking for. This character driven story is entertaining enough but its not great, and with that said, it's hard to judge this film because we're only seeing part of the story with two further instalments still to come. And as for the last five minutes - where did the inspiration for the 'Jimmies' come from I wonder? We'll just have to wait for 'The Bone Temple' I guess to find out.

'28 Years Later' merits three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE BIKERIDERS : Tuesday 9th July 2024

I saw the M Rated 'THE BIKERIDERS' earlier this week, and this American crime drama offering is Written and Directed by Jeff Nichols whose previous feature films include his debut in 2007 with 'Shotgun Stories' and then 'Take Shelter' in 2011, 'Mud' in 2012, and 'Midnight Special' and 'Loving' both in 2016. This film is inspired by the photo-book of the same name by Danny Lyon, and depicts the lives of the Vandals Motorcycle Club, a fictionalised rendering of the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing at the Telluride Film Festival at the end of August last year and was released Stateside on 21st June having so far grossed US$30M off the back of a US$35M production budget and garnering generally positive critical acclaim.

The film opens up in 1965, Kathy Bauer (Jodie Comer) meets Benny Cross (Austin Butler), a hotheaded member of the Chicago-based Vandals Motorcycle Club, in the clubs local bar, and the pair get married just five weeks later. Photography student Danny Lyon (Mike Faist) travels with, interviews and photographs the Vandals over a number of years. He learns from Kathy, that the founder, Johnny Davis (Tom Hardy), was inspired to form the club after watching Marlon Brando's 1953 film 'The Wild One' on TV. Johnny's leadership is challenged when he rebuffs another Vandal's suggestion that new chapters should be allowed to form. They engage in a fist fight which Johnny wins, and so re-establishes his authority and grants permission to expand the club. New chapters begin to form across the American Midwest.

In 1969, Benny is sat at a bar drinking alone and is approached by two men for wearing his clubs colours. A fight breaks out and the three end up out on the street in an all out brawl with Benny copping a real beating, and his foot is nearly severed by one of the men bringing a shovel down just above the ankle during the fight. Johnny forces the owner to provide the names of the men, and then promptly orders the Vandals to burn down the bar, while they stand and watch while fire crews and the Police maintain a safe distance seemingly too frightened to approach. In hospital with his foot bandaged up, Benny urges Kathy not to allow the doctors to amputate his foot. 

While Benny is recovering from surgery some three weeks later, Johnny pressures him to come to a motorcycle rally before he is fully healed, much to Kathy's chagrin. At the rally, up rides Funny Sonny (Norman Reedus) from the Dead Devil's Club in California and says that he's heard there's a rally going on and so he thought he make the journey and join in. Later that evening Johnny offers Benny leadership of the club when he steps down, but Benny rejects it.

A 20-year-old delinquent known as 'the Kid' (Toby Wallace) asks Johnny to allow him and his own small motorcycle club to join the Vandals. Johnny initially dismisses them saying their all too young, but tests the Kid by allowing only him to join. When he expresses willingness to abandon his four friends, Johnny rejects him, saying that club members never leave their friends behind. The Kid attacks Johnny with a knife, who beats him and warns him not to come back.

Fast forward to 1973, and Lyon interviews Kathy about what became of the Vandals. She explains that Johnny became disheartened after the death of his lieutenant Brucie (Damon Herriman) in a vehicular accident, and the club grew increasingly violent after drug-addled Vietnam War veterans joined the club. At a party, longtime member Cockroach (Emory Cohen) is badly beaten up by new members when he drunkenly expresses a desire to leave the club to become a motorcycle Police Officer. Kathy is nearly raped while Benny is occupied taking Cockroach to the hospital, but she is rescued in time by Johnny. Furious that Benny wasn't at the party to protect her, she demands Benny quit the Vandals. Instead, he leaves her for several days. To allow Cockroach to safely leave the club, Johnny takes Benny to stage a break-in at his house, where they shoot him non-fatally in the leg. Concerned over the escalating violence of the club and again rejecting Johnny's offer of leadership, Benny quits and gets the hell outta Dodge, leaving Kathy high and dry.

The Kid, now a member of the Vandals Milwaukee chapter, challenges Johnny to a knife fight for leadership the next night which Johnny has no option but to accept. Johnny swings by Kathy's house to see if she has heard from or seen Benny, to which she responds in the negative. Johnny goes onto the designated meeting place for the challenge armed with a knife and a knuckle duster only for the Kid to pull out a gun and shoot Johnny dead. Kathy explains to Lyon that after the Kid took over the Vandals, they became a large criminal gang involved in drug trafficking, prostitution and even murder. The older members either toed the line, left to obtain legitimate jobs, or died.

Benny, upon learning of Johnny's death, returns home and breaks down with Kathy consoling him on their front steps. He and Kathy relocate to Florida where Benny works as a mechanic with his cousin and stopped riding motorcycles as soon as Johnny was killed. Kathy tells Lyon that they are happy, and Benny doesn't miss the biker fraternity. Outside, Benny hears motorcycles roaring nearby and flashes a wry smile at his wife.

'The Bikeriders' boasts captivating performances from Comer, Butler (channeling James Dean) and Hardy (channeling Marlon Brandon) and Writer and Director Nichols has here crafted a film that is grounded and convincing in its depiction of late 1960's and early 1970's counter culture, the rebellious and often violent history of motorcycle gangs, and all of the raw emotion and masculinity that lurks just below the surface. 'The Bikeriders' is certainly worth the price of your cinema ticket if your looking for a throwback to a bygone era interlaced with a thumping soundtrack, great cinematography and a solid enough storyline to maintain your interest for its almost two hour running time. The film also stars Michael Shannon and Boyd Holbrook in strong supporting roles.

'The Bikeriders' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE LAST DUEL : Tuesday 26th October 2021.

I saw 'THE LAST DUEL' at my local independent movie theatre earlier this week, and this MA15+ Rated historical drama film is Directed by Ridley Scott; written for the screen by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, Co-Produced by Scott, Holofcener, Affleck and Damon and based on the 2004 book 'The Last Duel : A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France' by Eric Jager. Of course Ridley Scott is no stranger to historical dramas having helmed 'The Duellists' his 1977 debut feature film, '1492 : Conquest of Paradise' in 1992, 'Gladiator' in 2000, 'Kingdom of Heaven' in 2005, 'Robin Hood' in 2010 and 'Exodus : Gods and Kings' in 2014. This film was originally scheduled to begin a limited theatrical release at Christmas 2020, before going wide in early January this year, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the release date was delayed to mid-October 2021. It had its World Premiere screening at the Venice Film Festival in early September, before being released in the US and UK mid this month and here in Australia last week. It has garnered generally favourable Reviews, and has so far recouped US$19M off the back of a US$100M production budget. 

The film opens up with two heavily armoured knights on horseback racing towards each other with lances raised and shields poised to take the first blow, in an arena watched on by many of Paris' nobility, and the King of France, Charles VI. It is the 28th December 1386 and there is a thin blanket of snow covering the ground. The camera then cuts away, taking us back to 1370. The events leading up to the duel are divided into three chapters, reflecting the perspectives of Jean de Carrouges, Jacques Le Gris, and Marguerite de Carrouges, respectively.

Chapter One : The truth according to Jean de Carrouges

Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) is a soldier known to be fierce and unyielding in battle, is serving at Limoges in 1370 alongside the squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) - his long term friend. After seeing combat in Limoges against the wishes of the King, Le Gris thanks de Carrouges for saving his life. When Count Pierre d'Alencon (Ben Affleck) is named de Carrouges' overlord by his cousin, King Charles VI (Alex Lawther) both de Carrouges and Le Gris swear their fealty to him. Later Le Gris visits de Carrouges and informs him that d'Alencon has ordered all of his new vassals to pay their taxes to fund the war effort. de Carrouges explains he doesn't have the funds to pay and that he is broke. Le Gris agrees to ask d'Alencon, who has come to trust him as a confidant and advisor, for leniency in his case.

To restore his financial standing, de Carrouges marries Marguerite de Thibouville (Jodie Comer) and in the process receives a substantial dowry from her father Sir Robert de Thibouville (Nathaniel Parker) that includes valuable estates. He soon learns however, that one especially desirable parcel of land has already been seized by d'Alencon and given to Le Gris as a reward for Le Gris getting his finances in order. de Carrouges subsequently sues d'Alencon for the land to be given to him as it was promised to him in the dowry, but the King dismisses the lawsuit. The Count responds by appointing Le Gris to the captaincy of a fort that the de Carrouges' family had held for generations. Needless to say de Carrouges is mightily pissed off at this news and suspects Le Gris has turned d'Alencon against him.

Marguerite raises her concerns that they have no children, even after five years of marriage, but de Carrouges reassures her that whether they have children is in God's hands. While on a six month campaign in Scotland, he is knighted for bravery but returns home to be told by his wife that Le Gris raped her while she was alone in their home. Knowing that d'Alencon protects Le Gris, de Carrouges is adamant to challenge him to a duel to the death.

Chapter Two : The truth according to Jacque Le Gris

We go back to that battle at Limoges in 1370 and this time it is Le Gris who saves the life of de Carrouges in battle. In an early morning conversation with d'Alencon standing high up on his fort overlooking the French countryside, Le Gris recounts his humble early life and how he very briefly joined the church with designs on becoming a monk, but after a while decided it wasn't for him. Now however, he has earned the trust and respect of d'Alencon through his knowledge of Latin, reading and mathematics especially which has helped Le Gris to get the Counts finances in order and collecting, on his behalf, the debts owed to him by his vassels. Le Gris attempts to use his new position to help de Carrouges, but when d'Alencon showers him with gifts, as a show of gratitude, including the parcel of land promised to him as part of his wife's dowry, de Carrouges becomes envious and publicly mocks Le Gris.

When Le Gris sees Marguerite for the first time, he is instantly attracted to her and believes that she does not truly love her husband, who is illiterate and sees her only as a means for him to acquire a son and heir. Marguerite admits to her friends that Le Gris is indeed handsome but states that her husband does not trust him. While de Carrouges is away, his mother takes all the servants to help her with errands that day, leaving Marguerite alone, despite her husband advising that his wife is not be left home alone under any circumstances. Knowing this Le Gris gains entry to the household and declares his undying love for Marguerite. She insists that she is married and orders him to leave. Instead, Le Gris chases Marguerite up to her bedchamber. Le Gris then rapes her. In his mind, despite her protests and seemingly only mild objections he believes that Marguerite must love him. Before leaving, he advises her not to tell her husband, for upon hearing this news he would surely kill her, and he too will remain silent. 

Later d'Alencon tells Le Gris that de Carrouges is spreading news that he raped his wife. Le Gris, apparently shocked Marguerite perceived the incident as a rape, is advised by d'Alencon to deny, deny, deny the event. d'Alencon attempts to exert his authority to rule in favour of Le Gris, but de Carrouges has already appealed his case directly to the King and requested a duel to the death against Le Gris, who, determined to defend his honour, his name and his reputation, accepts de Carrouges' challenge.

Chapter Three : The truth according to Marguerite de Carrouges

Marguerite de Thibouville has entered into marriage with Jean de Carrouges and sets about helping him to restore his neglected estate to its former glory. Their marriage is soon strained by her failure to become pregnant, even after five years, and as de Carrouges leaves for Scotland, he reassures her that whether they have children is in God's hands. He also orders her not to leave their castle home and to not let anyone inside while he is away. 

de Carrouges' mother, Nicole de Buchard (Harriet Walter), takes all the servants with her on an errand for the day despite de Carrouges' order that Marguerite is not be left alone. Le Gris arrives with a servant who tricks Marguerite into letting them enter. Le Gris chases her up to her bedchamber and rapes her, with Marguerite screaming and crying for him to stop. When de Carrouges returns, Marguerite tells him what happened. He is enraged, and grabbing Marguerite by the neck demands to know if she provoked him. He then forces her to have sex with him immediately so that her last partner was not Le Gris. 

Marguerite, after praying in the chapel, is confronted by Nicole, who warns her against bringing Le Gris to trial, saying that she too was raped when she was younger and had to accept it as the way of the world so she could move on with her life, further stating that what Le Gris did to Marguerite is no different than French soldiers raping peasant women during wartime campaigns.

At Le Gris' trial in Paris, the judges interrogate Marguerite, who is now six months pregnant, six months after the rape. Is this coincidence given that she failed to conceive after more than five years of marriage they ask? She remains resolute in speaking the truth, even after being advised by the judges that should de Carrouges lose the duel she will be flayed and burned alive for bearing false witness against Le Gris, and that such a painful death can take between twenty to thirty minutes for the victim to die. The King in attendance, agrees to de Carrouges' request for a duel to the death. After the hearing Marguerite confronts de Carrouges for not informing her she would be killed if he fails, stating that their child could now grow up an orphan. When he defends himself by saying he is risking his life for her honour, she accuses him of prioritising his pride and his vanity over everything and eveyone else, including her life and that of their child's. Marguerite gives birth to their son, within just a few weeks of the duel. 

The 28th December comes around and the duel starts with de Carrouges and Le Gris jousting until both men lose their mounts and then fight hand-to-hand. de Carrouges is stabbed in the thigh but eventually manages to pin down Le Gris after he slashes him in the back of the leg with his sword. He demands that Le Gris confess or face ever lasting damnation, but Le Gris refuses and once again claims his innocence. de Carrouges stabs him through the mouth, killing him. No longer a prisoner, Marguerite is unchained and permitted to join her husband. As Le Gris' body is stripped naked and dragged away along the frozen ground by horses to be strung upside down for public display, de Carrouges and his wife depart the scene on horseback with de Carrouges soaking up the glory of his victory before the cheering crowds of Paris, while Marguerite follows quietly behind.

The final scene shows Marguerite and her no more than two year old son playing in the grounds of the family estate on a sun drenched day. An epilogue tells us that de Carrouges died fighting in the Crusades two or so years later while Marguerite continued managing the estate, living in peace for the remaining thirty years of her life and never marrying again.

This is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen and whilst the Reviews have generally been favourable, it would be disappointing for Scott and the studio that at the Box Office this historical drama has underperformed. Perhaps the reason for this, is that a story of this nature doesn't grab the hearts and minds of the younger cinema going demographic, but is instead aimed more squarely at an older 40+ demographic who are still a little ill at ease with venturing back into a movie theatre post-pandemic. Once again, here Scott has not neglected the production values which are top notch, the cinematography is first rate, the performances from the four seasoned leading players is credible, the action scenes expertly staged, and a clever script all help propel this medieval story along at a good pace. It could be seen as a forerunner to the 'Me Too' movement with themes of misogyny, patriarchy, rape and the issues faced by women in the 14th Century being not so far removed from the issues faced by women six hundred years later. My only gripe is that at a two-and-a-half-hour run time, Scott could easily have cut fifteen to twenty minutes out of this without too much detriment to the story, but nonetheless 'The Last Duel' is a well crafted historical film with a message grounded in todays world that will keep you invested right up until the brutal, bloody and bitter end. 

'The Last Duel' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-