In the midst of a deadly pandemic, a father must get his
infant daughter to safety before he succumbs to the virus. HORROR
|
Cargo (2017)Directed by Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke
Written by Yolanda Ramke Starring Martin Freeman, Simone Landers, Susie Porter, Anthony Hayes, Caren Pistorius, David Gulpilil Based on the 2013 short film "Cargo" |
It's so damn difficult to put a refreshing spin on the zombie genre these days. With Romero setting the precedent and The Walking Dead wearing out its welcome for the past four years, zombie stuff struggles to be original. You either become a cult favorite like Train to Busan or you die in obscurity like Army of the Dead. There's rarely any middle ground. But every so often, you find a film that is good enough to be recognized but somehow slipped through the cracks. That's where I would put Cargo, a viciously downbeat zombie drama.
Andy (Freeman) and Kay (Porter) live on a houseboat in Australia, after a horrific virus swept through the country and killed nearly everyone, turning them into zombies. You never get quite a good look at the zombies, and they're treated like unkillable monsters, which was a neat, fresh take. One day, Kay gets bit, meaning they have 48 hours before she turns. She takes the easy way out. They have an infant daughter, Rosie, and when Andy gets bit next, he has less than two days to find help for Rosie before he turns and devours her. He partners up with a young aborigine girl named Thoomi (Landers), and as time gets shorter and shorter for Andy, the tighter his bond with Thoomi becomes. It's a slow burn movie with a payoff that's worth it in the end. Cargo is one of Netflix's best original horror films. It sets the action in Australia, which introduces all sorts of new obstacles into the zombie film. It features an incredible performance from Martin Freeman, playing a determined father who knows he's going to die. This is one to check out. |