Rise Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Supernatural thriller in which a female reporter wakes up in a morgue to find herself a member of the undead. She vows revenge against the sect that put her there and hunts them down.
| Robert Forster | Lloyd |
| Cameron Richardson | Collette |
| Lucy Liu | Sadie Blake |
| Allan Rich | Harrison |
| Samantha Shelton | LA Weekly Editor |
| Kevin Wheatley | Ethan Mills |
| Margo Harshman | Tricia Rawlins |
| Cameron Goodman | Kaitlin |
| Holt McCallany | Rourke |
| James D'Arcy | Bishop |
| Carla Gugino | Eve |
| Michael Chiklis | Clyde Rawlins |
| Paul Cassell | Detective Easton |
| Mako | Poe |
| Sam Cooper | Coroner's Assistant |
| Sebastian Gutierrez |
5.40 out of 10 (2401 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Not great, not bad.
posted on 24 Aug 2009I just saw this at the Tribeca Film Festival and I have to say that the movie wasn't all too bad. It was very formulaic and predictable, but still entertaining to a decent degree. It's take on vampires was slightly different, in that the vampires don't have fangs or have a weakness to sunlight, they just kill and drink blood. For a low budget movie that will probably go straight to DVD here in the US, it will be worth a rental - especially in that Lucy Liu bares her boobage in numerous scenes.Carla Gugino is in the movie and sat a row in front of us at the screening in Chelsea. Holy schnikey's she has one smoking body... let's hope she sticks around as Amanda in Entourage for a few more episodes.
don't be fooled by nudity claims
posted on 12 Aug 2009Just seen the UK DVD release, 117 mins long ( and I mean LONG ), which presumably is the directors cut and a good 20 minutes longer than the US cinema release. Lots of reviewers have mentioned the nudity in this film. Well, Cameron Richardson certainly shows her lovely breasts a fair bit at the start, and I think I may have caught about 2 seconds of Carla Gugino's breasts, although it was a pretty dark scene. So that leaves Lucy Liu : plenty of scenes but all from the rear or obscured by glass etc. You do not see her breasts at all so has this been cut over here despite the longer running time? I found this longer version very disjointed and confusing to follow, as others have commented. Lots of blood, these vampires are a lot more messy than in Christopher Lee's time. Far too long, was praying for it to end after about 90 mins and don't know how I resisted the fast forward button. This version is a waste of time.
Owing more to film noir than horror films this is a great B-movie that deserves to sought out for a great night at the movies
posted on 25 Jul 2009(This review is for the theatrical cut)Rise : Blood Hunter hit me like a ball out of left field. The film concerns a reporter, played by Lucy Liu who runs a foul of a group of vampires who kill her for her troubles. Regrettably the vampires botch the job and Liu comes back with a driving thirst for vengeance.Three parts noir and one part supernatural thriller this is the sort of grind house film that belonged in the recent "Grind House" double feature. Moving with a speed and an economy of motion this is a film thats rare to day anywhere, especially Hollywood. The film bleeds off the screen and you get a sense that this could be happening somewhere real. The story is as tight as a drum with nary a extraneous line or motion, this is a movie that tells its simple story and it tells it well. There are things which it could tell us, or show us, but it chooses not to since that would get away of the story (the alchemist for example). There is blood and violence but its always perfectly done for the right effect. The supporting cast is mostly note perfect including Mako, Robert Forrester and Michael Chiklas.While the film has its flaws (Liu is a bit stiff at the start) the film actually turns out to be a perfectly made B-movie of the sort that hasn't been seen on screens in decades. Taken for what it is the film will probably stand the test of time and repeated viewings to become a minor classic of its type.
Deserves Wider Release
posted on 15 Jul 2009Don't be put off by the lame artwork on the poster, RISE BLOOD HUNTER is a striking, unsettling moody thriller with really fine acting and cinematography (from Oscar winner John Toll) that has somehow been repackaged as an action movie (!) It's not. I read on Shock Til You Drop that this was originally a non linear vampire noir film, told mostly in flashbacks. And guess what? It shows!!! The movie has been rearranged chronologically and it becomes monotonous and not nearly as haunting as you can tell it was supposed to be. Where's the director's cut? Why the studios insist on dumbing horror down? Why is Nick Lachey in this movie? Why is it anytime someone tries to do something new, the studios try to turn it into the same crap we've all seen a million times? You'd think Sam Raimi would have a little more faith in his fans.
Confusing and boring
posted on 22 May 2009I watched this thinking it was a new vampire genre like the advertisements said. One thing you learn is to never, ever trust ads. Most of the time there is more lies than truths.The movie starts as Sadie(Lucy Liu) starts the film by kidnapping a victim, then killing a vampire for information, and freeing her victim. Then suddenly she falls asleep and it jumps to her waking up in the morgue. But then it jumps to when she wasn't a vampire yet, and it goes over the beginning of how she died.This is just one part where it jumps around. The whole movie jumps around so much that you don't even know what is happening when. Another part is when she gets kidnapped and stuffed into the trunk of a car, then suddenly, shes in a strange building with no explanation of how she got there. Then afterward, it jumps back to her in the trunk.This would be a better movie if it stayed in order. Unfortunately, it didn't and it makes it very confusing.
No attempt to copy Blade or Underworld, fortunately
posted on 08 May 2009"Rise" is less remarkable for the things it does, more for the things it doesn't. The movie resists to copy the successful tricks of the trade from "Blade" and "Underworld" about cool superhero vampires who love to stage "Matrix" fights because slow motion is so much fun. "Rise" shows us a female vampire who is often defeated, hates her unwanted physical condition, and especially the scene when she bites her first victim, a weak old man, her feelings are so visible: the disgust, the addiction, the cowardice, the frustration being unable to resist. Insofar it is not surprising that she tries to kill herself before she has a thought about revenge for the first time. I loved the scene when she visits her mother, but is unable to explain everything, so she just watches her. Even though the second half of the movie is a kind of revenge story we are familiar with from the cinema of the 1970 and 80s, it's a good genre entry - neither trying to make an art movie like "The Addiction" nor the trendy Gothic pop thing, but creating its own world which reminds me rather of dark city movies such as Clint Eastwood's "Tightrope" than any recent horror movie. It's not the blood, it's the characters. And speaking of that - honestly, since I remember Lucy Liu as one of Charlie's Angels, I didn't expect she could pull this off. Thumbs up!
You Should Get A Rise Out "Rise"
posted on 08 May 2009Finally, a film where the sex scenes don't over do it. There's plenty of action; it's a good B movie and I like Ms. L's work! The cast was well selected and the music was great! Like most B movies, they're not meant to be taken seriously. "Kill Bill" should convince all those who found Rise to be a disappointment that this is the kind of work you take when you want to stay in shape and it gives you a chance to work with veterans like, Mako. Sometimes it's not about the money or the fans who were looking for something more; it's about trying something new. I've never seen Ms. L without clothes, so of course, I'm glad she chose to do it like this, than in some serious drama where all you see is two people making out. Bottom line: If you enjoyed "Otis", then you'll like Rise.
Interesting vampire movie, but could have been better, because now it's neither fish nor foul
posted on 06 May 2009(In this comment I try to focus on the movie as a work. When you judge my comments please sent me a message to tell me what and why as I can then work to improve the comments)Rise is not an ordinary vampire movie. I expected it to be one as the text on the DVD hinted at this. But the word vampire is never used and the persons afflicted by the condition never show fangs or fall to pieces in the sunlight. Yet on the other hand some vampire signs are on evidence: the dependency on blood, the fact that they don't cast a reflection in the mirror and that the afflicted are uncommon strong and resilient. What is different is that the movie spends time on how Liu feels when she finds out that she has become a thing of the night, forever barred from normal live. At heart rise is a revenge movie. Lucy Liu is a reporter who is killed when her investigation set her on the trail of a weird sect. These people turn out to be a sort of vampires and Liu becomes one of their victims. Liu however rises from the dead(hence the title)as one of the creatures and hunts them down one by one.Woven into the revenge story is the story of Chiklis who plays a police cop whose daughter got the same treatment as Liu. He is hot on the trail of both Liu and the top bad guy, either in the hope to find his daughter or find out what happened to her.At the end both stories interconnect as Chiklis catches up with Liu and face each other and finally the top bad guy.The choice of having both stories into the movie makes the revenge story more intricate as Chiklis as 'normal' human can as well help Liu as sabotage her desires. In this way also him being a cop is at odds with him being a concerned father. The story itself plays at night, in dark and usually uncomfortable places(I use this word as this is what all these places are meant to be). This is also interesting as it illustrates how Liu's world has suddenly become estranged. The story is mostly made up out of one-on-one confrontations that exist mostly out of conversations. The camera is close to the person and shots are medium and close up mostly. The fight scenes are short and unspectacular: most are more like executions.The story itself is easy to follow, yet at some turns one wonders about the choices made. Liu comes in contact with someone called the alchemist who has been usurped by the leader of the weird vampiric sect. He gives her a small crossbow with which she kills all the others, yet seen doesn't turn on him. Also the choice of the crossbow feels odd as it's such an unhandy weapon to use in a fight. The killings of their victims by the vampiric sect are strangely bloody, with bodies and surrounding furniture covered by blood and blood splashing and spraying everywhere. It somehow doesn't fit in with the mood of the movie, certainly as compared to the subdued fighting scenes. It seems as if at regular intervals the movie needed to interrupted by a horror scene.It is a common thing that 'vampire' movies are associated with seduction. In Rise this is downplayed. Liu herself seduces one(well she actually more or less jumps her victim). In all the other cases seduction seems more or less a side story then a pivotal event.Acting is reasonable but it loses at the point where the script seems to bare the actors from playing out their role. Liu seems to be shocked at first time and there are some tears when she realizes what she has become. But you would expect someone to show more emotions after she has been brutally murdered and risen from the grave: just some sign of mental stress beyond the anger Liu displays. Also Liu is somewhat too certain she needs to kill herself. Liu lacks things like doubt, uncertainty and fear. She show mostly anger. Chiklis also does not a really great job when he moment of truth comes as he is confronted by his daughter turned-vampire. She pulls a gun out and shouts abuses at him and he is quite emotionless. Nor is he in doubt once Liu has shown him that she can't be seen in the mirror. This latter seems actually a plot device that is needed to convince Chiklis of Liu's condition. I found it so unfitting as everything else vampiric is merely hinted at and then suddenly this inescapable proof is offered.Rise makes me think of The Brave One. Both involve women who undergo a traumatic experience that changes their world forever and exact revenge on perpetrators that are the cause of the change. But where Jodie Foster convinces in the role of a woman that suffers a lot and who's action are in tune with her person and experiences, Liu fails to convince as she mostly displays anger. Her change from an reporter into a determined one-woman-murder-squad leaves enough to desire. The movie seems neither fish nor foul: for those people who expect another underworld there is not enough fighting, beauty and sensuality. For those who like movies like the brave one, there is just not enough reality in the movie. The gory bloody scenes are in either case misplaced.Rise is a reasonable movie that I think could have been better if the creators had decided either to infuse more of the fantastic or if they had introduce more of the realistic. They could probably have played out the break between her normal life and her undead life better. Nevertheless a interesting vampire movie.
If you make it through the first horrible half hour of this movie, you might find a few redeeming moments in what is left.
posted on 06 May 2009The first 25-30 minutes of this film were bad. Real bad. Not like good bad. But genuinely bad bad.The film starts off with a highly derivative sex scene in which the vixen of the scene ends up with red body paint all over her face. The next scene is another unimaginative sex scene in which the actors end up splattered with tiny little speckles of red body paint. About nine minutes and two scenes later is another extremely unarousing sex scene in which all of the actors are mysteriously covered with tiny little spatters of red body paint. Seven minutes and two scenes later, there is a girl laying in a bed, face down, presumably dead. The girl and the bed are covered in fresh shiny red body paint. In the next scene, this guy throws a shower certain over Lucy Lui's head and tries to suffocate her. It is a see-through shower certain so it makes Lucy Lui look like a Dum Dum lollipop with a scary face wrapper. At this point, I am still not sure what the premise of the movie is.The coolest and most memorable scene in this movie is when Lui smothers this guy and then bites the flesh off of his arm and begins drinking his gushing blood which for once does not seem at all like red body paint. Then Lucy Liu calls her mom and her mom is crying. Then Liu, barefoot and wearing hospital scrubs that are covered with what looks like it might possibly be blood, walks to a pedestrian bridge that extends across a freeway and she stares at the oncoming traffic for one minute and eighteen seconds while the wind is blowing through her hair and some lame music is playing.After this, the movie starts to get better. Way better. Especially after Carla Gugino's character is dead. The sex in this movie is more unappealing than watching monkeys go at it. I have no idea why it is that the director of this film chose to fill up the first half hour with retarded sloppy paint spattered mutant orgies that are too stupid to qualify as kinky. The first half of this movie is worse than one of those 1980's b-movie horror films where they have all these degenerate rituals and the women sprout hair all over their bodies while being serviced.The rest of the movie is pretty good so I wont tell you anything about it accept that Michael Chiklis turns in a great performance as a bereaved detective and Lucy Lui isn't too shabby either. I am starting to like movies with her in them.
Lucy Liu vamps it up.
posted on 30 Apr 2009Lucy Liu stars as Sadie Blake, an intrepid reporter who comes a cropper when she pokes her nose too far into the world of a strange vampiric goth cult. None too keen to have their story told, they abduct the news-hound and suck her dry, dumping her body when finished.But Sadie is a tough girl and refuses to just keel over. Instead, she joins the ranks of the undead, and sets out to get revenge on those responsible for her current state.Director Sebastian Gutierrez presents a refreshingly different take on the whole vampire schtick with this low budget shocker that is both bloody and innovative (these vampires may lack fangs, but still pack plenty of bite). Great cinematography, an engaging story, and a decent cast all go to make Rise: Blood Hunter worth seeking out, although the gimmicky use of a non-linear storyline is a little unnecessary (so many films seem to use this idea these days).A strong, sexy performance from Lucy Liu means that the film is never boring, although, at times, it does come across as a little too earnest for its own good. At times, Gutierrez strives so hard for an effectively moody atmosphere to suit his tale that the resulting gravitas detracts from one's enjoyment. Fortunately, Lucy Liu sees fit to shed her clothes at several points in the movie, so everything balances out nicely in the end.If you love vampire films of all types, adore Gothic fantasy, or, like me, just want to see Ms. Liu in the buff, then Rise: Blood Hunter is recommended viewing.
The Rise and Fall of Lucy Liu.
posted on 26 Apr 2009I watched Rise last night and thought it was a decent story about revenge, and getting even those who have done you wrong. The violence was pretty good. Lots blood in the aftermath of the deaths, than during the killings. I have always like Lucy Liu, she cute, and she plays bada** characters in both "Kill Bill" and "Payback". When she is exacting her revenge she is very good, but when she is just the news reporter in the flashbacks her performance feels very forced. Its like she doesn't know how to be scared. Michael Chikliss gives a good performance as a cop on edge. Must have been difficult for him, he's never had to do this roll before. Just kidding, despite the fact that he plays a cop on TV, so he does well with that roll here. Now this movie is not a masterpiece, but if you want to see an interesting take on "Bloodsucker" films, then it is definitely worth the rental. It will be available on October 9th.
Emphasize on SLOW!
posted on 08 Apr 2009Just saw this film together with a couple of friends. I guess the easiest way to sum this film up is by quoting Sadie as she tells Mako's character (a real shame this should end up to be his last live action performance) to turn around; "Emphasize on slow"...It all starts promising enough, the first 25 minutes went by hardly before I'd even noticed it. But then the film took an ugly turn into the abyss. The "plot" started to seem non existent, the cuts suddenly made no sense at all, the dialog got worse and worse throughout, as did the acting, the "horror" elements became painfully obvious and arch typical, and everything progressed slowly - VERY slowly. Let me just emphasize that once more; it's SLOW - PAINFULLY slow! Towards the end none of us could wait for this ordeal to be over. On top of that; we all had to fight REAL hard to stay awake for the last hour, even though we didn't watch the film at a late hour... And rest assured; we're a gang who usually enjoy a good horror/thriller flick.I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. If you want to see a film about a conscience-ridden vampire, somehow trying to make amends for his/her wrong-doings and/or his/her becoming a vampire in the first place; watch "The Hunger" and/or "Interview With a Vampire". This one has hardly any redeeming qualities at all, with the exception of a fair share of female eye-candy. But if that's your bowl of soup, you'd be better of watching "D.O.A. - Dead or Alive"; that one at least is true to its origin, and emphasizes on what we really expect from that kind of film; T&A and fast paced action...My opinion; avoid at all cost. A very kind 2/10 due to a somewhat promising start...
Good, but could have been great
posted on 25 Mar 2009This is one of those movies I enjoyed watching, but found frustrating because I could see how it could have been so much better. I felt constantly like the director didn't know what he had in the script. There was hints of sexual tension between Liu and the cop (Chiklis) which should have been developed. The scene where he has to help her pull up her pants because her hands are handcuffed together is very sexy, but that's all there is between them. Another scene where Liu suddenly "appears", in mysterious, very vampire-like style, at her sleeping mothers bedside, could have been heart-wrenching and made you feel for the doomed Sadie Blake (Liu) but it's so fleeting you may well miss it. There's too much time spent with Sadie acting like a second-rate detective and not enough in developing the fact of Sadie's inevitable doom and the cop's loss of his daughter. Having said that it's still fun and Liu is great to look at (althought I suspect many of the nude scenes used a body double) and is able to handle the action scene with credibility. But with a bit more care it could have been a classic.
mediocre
posted on 08 Jan 2009OK this movie was kind of good, some parts were entertaining and worth watching and then there were some parts that dragged. I guess I was expecting like a female Blade from this movie but there is not near as much action in this as in the Blade trilogy. Lucy Liu and Michael Chiklis did a pretty good job of playing the heroes out for vengeance but I was just expecting more action and more gore than it had. Overall I give it a 7 out of 10 because it was good, but it could have been so much better. I would recommend this to fans of these types of movies, just don't expect too much action or gore when u see it because it lacks special effects.
Average in every way.
posted on 31 Dec 2008Beginning with the title, just about every aspect of this film is rife with mediocrity. That isn't to say it's a particularly bad film, it isn't, it's a simple statement about the films complete lack of ambition.A woman (Lucy Lu) is kidnapped by a pack of vampires and after being summarily abused and finally left for dead she turns into a vampire herself and heads out for some bloody revenge.As is undoubtedly obvious, the plot is anchored firmly in the realm of 'been there, done that', Lucy even gets help from the requisite down-on-his-luck cop who has his own reasons for chasing the vampires. At one point the 'hero' kills (in a rather gruesome fashion) an innocent stranger and then eats him, as if it's at all justified by her quest for revenge.The dialogue and characters don't fare a whole lot better; you've seen every character here a dozen times or so in other movies and the character interactions have a stiff kind of unbelievability to them.Where the drama fails, the fan-service works rather well. Plenty of blood and gore, some kinky hook-ups and a surprising amount of nudity on the part of Lu. It's just enough to make the rest of the film palatable, but unsatisfying The film doesn't do anything terribly wrong, the problem in the end is that it does equally little right.5/10
One of Lucy Lui's better movies...
posted on 31 Dec 2008But that isn't saying much, since the poor girl does crap like Eks vs. Sever.Okay, the good parts. They don't turn vampires into these super-human killing machines that fly and have super speed. They make them simply immortal bloodsuckers with invulnerability. They are pretty much portrayed as cannibal serial killers.The movie kicks off with Lucy Lui bringing home a prostitute, only to set her up to be a meal for a vampire she is trying to kill. "He was going to eat you, and I don't mean that as a euphemism for oral sex." with a line like that, you know you are going to be on a very strange trip.So here's the plot. Reporter Sadie Blake (don't ask me why an Asian chick has a name like "Sadie Blake") investigates a cult of Goth vampire wannabees, only to discover that they might really be vampires. In a series of flashbacks interspersed throughout the film, you see how she is turned, and then begins to hunt down the vampires who victimized her.Meanwhile, alcoholic detective Mike Chiklas is on the hunt for the same group of vampires and the person who is killing them. Eventually, they team up to take on the vampire leader.Lucy is pretty good in these scenes, but you get the feeling that her career is in a downwards spiral. She only seems to get these roles as female assassins nowadays.Lots of sex, lots of blood (hey, vampires are supposed to drink it, not get it on the furniture), lots of action scenes.I guess this movie had a release in the theaters, but I missed it.
Passable vampire flick with sexy Lucy Liu.
posted on 09 Dec 2008Lucy Liu plays Sadie Blake out for revenge for misdeeds done to her. We flash back to the origin of her thirst for vengeance,back when she was a reporter out trying to uncover the secret behind the recent upswing in missing persons in the area and their connection to secret party invitations announcing a "feeding".She finds out the hard way that vampires exist in the city, as they turn her into one.With all claims to her human life gone,Sadie vows to take down all of the vampires who've done her wrong.Believe me,"Rise" is actually better than action-packed "Blade" or "Underworld".At least it offers some lovely scenes of female nudity and plenty of blood.Of course the story is routine and forgettable and there is no suspense,but I can easily say that I enjoyed it.Grab some beer and give it a look.
unintentionally funny horror movie
posted on 27 Nov 2008After she's murdered and partially devoured by members of a cannibalistic death cult, investigative reporter Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) returns to earth as a flesh-consuming, bow-and-arrow-wielding member of the undead bent on exacting revenge on those who killed her.If you can swallow this premise, you might just possibly enjoy this ludicrous, frequently laughable, two-hour-long foray into sadism, cannibalism, vampirism, necrophilia and supremely bad acting. Sadie is at least a ghoul with a bit of a conscience - she feels really really bad when she has to eat someone - so we'll give her points for that, but the movie dedicated to telling her story rates a big fat zero on every other conceivable count.
Sweet action flick, Lucy Lui was hot!!!
posted on 19 Nov 2008OK, I went into this film with much reservations, after all the crappy films I've seen lately I wasn't sure where this one would sit. At least it's scored pretty well on the popular vote, so at least let that help you filter all the comments you see here. On to the review...Synopsis was pretty spot on, chick gets turned into a vampire and seeks revenge. The action scenes and suspense were done pretty well, several times even when you knew something was going to happen, it still gives you a start.I think they really short-changed the vampires in the film, at times they're pretty quick and strong, but at others they're simply normal, slow people that can't see their reflections. Secondly, why bother filling part of the vampire mythos but leave out the main aspect that's in all of the myths... sharp teeth??? Here, they have to gnaw their way to blood or resort to using some cheesy knife to slash an artery... come one, if they can't see their reflection and they're super quick, why stop there? That didn't really take too much away from the whole though, so I just dealt with it.Whew, they sure liked to pretend to show off Lucy's naked bod in this one; definitely a plus, though I'm almost positive it was a body double since they never gave a clear face shot when the boobs were shown (on quite a few occasions, I might add).The acting was good, fights quick and gruesome with lots of blood, the music was perfect for each scene (really gave it the proper atmosphere), and the special effects were good too.All in all, this movie was a breath of fresh air in the dreck that I've seen trying to be passed off as movies lately. Oh yeah, this film's premise could almost have been taken from the 1992 flick "Innocent Blood" mixed with a little "Kindred: The Embraced" type of action/drama. I liked it!
Oh my God... what a disaster
posted on 24 Aug 2009Any movie with Lucy Liu should be good, right? Not this time... It starts nicely enough with some appealing shots of Cameron Richardson in knickers and nylons, but soon slides into an awful mess of badly conceived plot, rotten script and painful acting. There are a couple of very labored attempts at suspense, but I found myself about two steps ahead of the action with the remote in hand. Perhaps it's James D'Arcy as the head villain that started the decline, but there seemed to be something missing after scene four or five.Sorry, but Blood Hunter gets a big thumbs down... not worth renting folks... unless you are staging a bad movie night!