Left for Dead (I) (2007) User Reviews

There're a lot which are much better... but there're worse...

[carlos_b84 · 4/10 · 29 March 2008]

So, I finally got to see Albert Pyun's most recent effort. A strange western about a foreign woman (along with a bunch of local women) hunting down her ex (who happens to have impregnated the daughter of one of them) into a town haunted by a ghost who's sworn revenge over those women.

I was drawn by this film. Firstly, because it's Albert Pyun, and no matter how bizarre the film is, there's always something I find cool in his film. Secondly, the movie was shot in my country, and now checking with IMDb, it has an almost completely local cast.

Pyun abuses of the slow-motion effect in this movie. That and an excess of cutting during the "action" scenes produces annoyance. Other than that, the story was good, and it could have been improved with a better budget (no, I didn't say director). THere're tons of blood, deaths and gore too, which will please fans of horror/slasher movies.

Victoria Maurette, of whom I've noticed in stupid teen flicks, has left me stunned. I didn't know she could actually act, and matter of fact, I didn't even recognise her (again, thanks IMDb). The rest of the actors are OK too, especially the one playing Moebius Lockwood (who looks terrific), but she delivered quite a good performance. Too good actually.

This film should be held in the same light as Pyun's "Omega Doom". It has its resemblances and differences, some more noticeable than others. But they're both unusual, peculiar movies, which depart from standards.

Overall, it's watchable. Not a film to watch again, though. So much for a film which was supposedly the second part of a trilogy started with "Mean Guns", which is a film that I personally have watched at least 20 times, and I'd watch it 20 times more if I had the opportunity.

Albie, get back to that sort of flicks!

Albert Pyun should make Kick Boxer XI

[ultra_tippergore · 27 July 2009]

I don't know how to describe Left for Dead. A western? A horror western? A paranormal western? a Ghosts western? no, just a piece of trash. This movie is a boring non sense from start to finish. Pyun direction is lazy and generic (he made some stylish action movies back in the 90s but here he flops). The script is awful, the acting is near as bad as in Zombieggedon and the worst thing here is the edition. Man!, the editor is an evil hack! All those stop motion scenes, fast motion, image freezing... they wanted to make the movie "cool", this is like a retarded no budget version of Domino(and Domino was indeed retarded). If you like Nemesis or some of those martial arts-sci fi Albert Pyun movies, stay away from this piece of boring, lazy and non sense crap. You will be very disappointed. 2/10

The worst film I have seen in ages.

[BA_Harrison · 1/10 · 24 July 2009]

Whilst searching for her missing husband Blake (Javier De la Vega), tough, pistol packing babe Clementine (Victoria Maurette) runs across a community of outcast whores who have fled the town of Amnesty after murdering the townsfolk, including its preacher (Andres Bagg) and his pregnant wife. These murderous women are also keen to lay their hands on Blake, for they believe him to be a rapist, but are unwilling to follow him into the deserted town, for this is where the spirit of the preacher patiently waits for revenge...

In my opinion, director Albert Pyun must suffer from severe Hollywooditis, a condition that causes untalented hacks to believe that they are actually successful Hollywood directors. The results are never pretty.

In this instance, poor Mr.Pyun is clearly under the delusion that he is Tony Scott, circa 2004, which explains why his low budget western/horror Left For Dead attempts to mimic Scott's dreadful, self-indulgent movie 'Man on Fire' so closely in style. Unfortunately for Pyun (and his audience), not only is he stricken with the urge to emulate one of Scott's most dire efforts, utilising all of the horrible visual trickery that made that movie such a chore to sit through (flickering imagery, desaturated colours, distressed filters, unnecessary freeze-frames, slow-motion, and even novelty subtitles for both Spanish and English dialogue), but the absence of a mega budget, A-list cast, and, more pointedly, any talent whatsoever behind the camera or in the editing room, makes this project an infinitely more painful viewing experience than anything Scott has ever dished up.

A lengthy prologue attempts to explain the back story to this steaming crap-fest, but is so poorly written that it does little to help viewers' understanding of the movie. The dreadful script, combined with equally awful acting and an over-reliance on absurd visual gimmickry, all go to make this one hell of a bad film which I genuinely believe deserves the lowest rating possible (others have rated this a 'one' to try and counteract the fake positive reviews, whereas I rate it that low simply because I genuinely hated it!).

Still, as much as I have suffered whilst watching this cack, I'm still able to spare a thought for poor old Pyun—if only his affliction had left him thinking he was Scorsese or Spielberg in their prime, things might have been different.

Awful simply awful

[JoeB131 · 1/10 · 16 March 2008]

Okay, I wasn't going to give it a 1 originally, but seeing as people on the crew have come on here and given it 10 ratings, I have to strike a balance.

The plot, if you want to call it that, is that this band of prostitutes slaughter all the decent folk in town out of retaliation for a preacher having a fling with one of them. The Preacher renounces God, and is trapped as a vengeful spirit killing anyone unlucky enough to wander into the town looking for gold.

Meanwhile, the prostitutes set up a lesbian-American community outside of town, until a woman looking for her husband wanders into their camp, and they agree to follow him into the town because he knocked up one of their number.

The whole movie is a convoluted mess, with a lot of violence against women, (where are angry feminists when you really need them?) The male hero for some inexplicable reason, speaks half his lines in Spanish, and yet everyone can understand him. More mysteriously, they put subtitles on half his English lines as well, probably because he garbled his dialog so badly you couldn't understand him, anyway. Not that his female co-stars do any better.

Oh, yeah, and all the women have dirt on them. I guess no one bathed in 1895. They're dirty, dirty girls.

Really, you should avoid this film. I wish I had.

Brilliant daring achievement

[jorgegarcio · 10/10 · 28 February 2008]

"Left For Dead" has a dreamlike, hauntingly chilling atmosphere from the beginning to the end. There is not too much landscape, there are not too much environmental elements, but the atmosphere is so strong, so hypnotizing that I found myself re-watching "Left for Dead" again and again. "Left for Dead" is a Gothic western about the moments that decide the fates of human beings. I emphasize on "human beings" because the characters here are not only likable but believable. Victoria Maurette makes me the biggest impression, adding layers of depth to her character without even uttering a word, just her facial expressions, the way she moves, the confidence with which she acts is simply brilliant. It is incredible how Pyun achieves to create such memorable scenes. There is in "Left for Dead" one of the best uses of slow-motion (and no-motion) I have ever seen. Slow-motion that captures the darkest, saddest moment, the one thing no one would expect to happen in a western. There is something haunting and sad all over the movie. It has a very intense emotional effect on the viewer. "Left for dead" is a uniquely dark voyage into the brutal reality of human nature. Watching it has been one of the most powerful experiences I've had for a long time. The darkest and most brutal sides of human nature are here present all the time and the things get almost surreal at times. The ending of the film is so harrowingly real it becomes almost unbearable in its sadness and both mental and physical violence. The theme of violence and vengeance remember me the best spaghetti westerns, specially Corbucci's. Only a master like Pyun could break all the conventions and rules of the genre, because this film just wants to be and is so much more. The imagery is stunning for such a tiny budget. So haunting --it becomes almost a surreal element and a very creepy one. The cinematography blows with some great compositions and different angles plus some extreme close ups to make each scene look as powerful as their potential. I Think that "Left for Dead" is one of Pyun's greatest achievements. I'm sure that it will remain. The cinematic magic could not be any more fantastic. This is a 'piece of honest, raw, beautiful, mighty cinema. What we have here, is nothing less than the ultimate essence of the Gothic Western: irony, cruelty, tenderness, beauty, violence, powerful characters... and chaos. Throughout the movie is laced with the anguish of haunted souls. "Left for Dead" comes across as a powerful and beautifully constructed Greek tragedy with a cynical and almost psychological edge bound to it. Pyun's stylishly first-rate direction keeps the film sombre with a brutally inspiring tone in its dramatic images and context. The wonderful use of lighting and composition keep the viewer's attention. The inventive framing also shows the quality and uniqueness of his direction. Even the flashback sequences are positioned in the story accordingly and in a fulfilling style. The story is full of symbolic and uncanny issues. What more can I say ? "Left for dead" is an unmissable, magnificently macabre opera of death.

Nothing like Albert Pyun's previous films.

[jhpstrydom · 7/10 · 10 February 2009]

I remember years back as a kid the first Albert Pyun movie I saw was CYBORG, then after that I saw NEMESIS, and I enjoyed them both mainly because they looked cool, and as a kid I never really paid attention to the flaws or tried to over analyze the plot, I just liked CYBORG because I was a big Van Damme fan, and I liked NEMESIS because it was something different, and over the years every time I saw Albert Pyun's name on a film, I would immediately say that's the guy who directed CYBORG & NEMESIS, but of course, he has directed some terrible films, such as that URBAN MENACE junk and a few others that made me wonder if this actually was directed by the same guy.

LEFT FOR DEAD was the first Pyun movie I saw since TICKER, and compared to the other films I've seen before, it was nothing like any of Pyun's previous work, and I mean that in a good way, sure its no masterpiece, but it is also not the worst movie out there, I actually liked the storyline, it was very original and unfolded nicely, I'll also add that I am not a die hard fan of the spaghetti western genre so I guess its easier for me to accept it as it is, the acting was not all bad but also not all good, entertainment wise, a lot of people might find it a bit on the boring side, because it doesn't have any major action sequences or anything that will make you jump out of your seat, it is mainly focused on being more of a ghost story than anything else, other than that it has a part near the ending that is pretty gross.

I actually liked this film, and for those that consider it the worst movie you've ever seen, check out these titles, HUNTING SEASON, THE CAVERN and FIVE ACROSS THE EYES, then you'll know what's worse.

Blew my mind!

[henrythunn · 9/10 · 19 February 2008]

Saw an advance copy of this film which comes out next month. Good lord what a mind trip. It's both beautifully affecting and horribly shocking. I haven't seen a film with so much intense pain and love in a long time. It just gets under your skin then chews into your heart. The story is a ghost story and as it is with most ghost stories, tragedy is at it's core. The actors in this film are so vivid that they didn't seem to be acting, especially the main one Victoria Maurete. Her acting is so powerful that I could feel what she was going through. I haven't seen her before but damn was she moving and beautiful. Those eyes of hers are unreal. I won't give away much because surprising revelations is what pushes this story forward. But be forewarned that this is a very intense and original western. I loved it.

It's not "Hannibal", but thank god it's not "Saw"

[Nivunation · 7/10 · 2 January 2009]

When I learned that this was under the genre of "Horror" I was excited; I had hoped that I'd found another of the sacred few scary movies that in fact scary and not mislabeled instead of being classified "gross" (like the Saw series). I read dozens of reviews and decided that this movie was worth a watch. Admittedly, the beginning is a bit lame (a priest out to vindicate himself from prostitutes? right...), and redundant (there must be at least five synonyms for "whore") but the flashes of scenes to emphasize the otherwise almost once-upon-a-time-opening-synopsis somewhat counteracted the poor plot and repetitiveness.

Being a Spanish-influenced movie, I thought that it was brilliant and rather tasteful for the crew to film in Argentina and with a pure Argentine cast (which most likely accounts for the abundance of Spanish, eh?). And the make-up & effects were a lot better than I expected; I have seen several movies and short films or trailers where someone is supposed to appear to not have eyes, but invariably they fail. When I first saw the ghost I was pleasantly startled: it truly and authentically seemed to me that he had merely sockets.

All-in-all, it is not a horrendous movie. It was shot in a lovely location, which also helps to balance the poor plot. After all, the setting is extremely important for a movie, and the backgrounds were both breathtaking and very fitting.

Good example of Argentina's independent film-making

[raesanchez1984 · 10/10 · 7 August 2009]

In the past 5 years the independent cinema here in Argentina and throughout South America has become quite accomplished. This is another example of taking an ordinary story and providing a artistic touch. The images are magnificent! And Victoria Maurette is amazing as Clem. She looks like she stepped into the film from a Sergio Leone movie. Wonderful eyes and face. She has amazing intensity and belief. She is a new star I think. The others were good but some like Marianna Seligman were just okay. At times she seemed embarrassing but Victoria overcomes the others and keeps the film a head above.

This film has been playing around Buenos Ares in a bad copy so I would very much like to watch with a good copy. The crew did a good job as well and the visuals, sound music were all A level. I hope they make a sequel to this as more Maurette is very good!

Criticize if you explain

[heatshiver · 7/10 · 13 June 2008]

I like that many people criticize movies, it has helped me when I want to check out a new film. But the underlying part to that is I usually only take the advice of a person I know, so I already know how we compare on different movie genres.

I am a film major and it is so easy to say why we don't like a movie, but quite difficult to explain it. I have seen this movie and admit there are parts that are quite bad, but I do think there are also parts that are quite good. For me I would have to say that MOST of the actors were lacking in skill, and the story lacked the build up and support to enforce its climatic goal or intentions. But the direction was good, I liked the composition of most of the shots, and the audio was great.

The list could go on about lighting, and other specifics, but I find that I can always see something good in a movie immediately dismissed as garbage. I may not always like the movies I've seen, but I try to understand them.

To sum up, don't just tell us a movie sucks, tell us what about it sucks. This may provoke a lot of people to click the "containers spoiler" from now on however.

I Thought the movie was great because it was different from other westerns

[katonna · 10/10 · 20 February 2011]

I Thought the movie was great because it was different from other westerns that I have seen. I love action, & horror an it being a western and having both action & horror I personally thought that it was worth watching. I'm tired of watch the same old song & dance with a lot of movies, they all seem the same with the storyline & everything in between & with this movie, it takes it to a different level. Mind you there were a couple of actress that needed a little work but out of the whole cast a couple isn't that bad at all. Victoria did an amazing job with her acting skills! I couldn't keep my eyes off of her! Everyone had there own views on what is a good movie & what isn't to just blast negative things about it is a little uncalled for. Just say you don't & get over it cause there's others like me who go ahead & watch it for myself & I loved it. So don't always go by what others say, watch it for yourself & if you don't like it then it's whatever, don't watch it again & forget about it! Me i'll never forget about it, I cant stress enough how much I loved it for it being different & it being a movie outside it's box.

Fun and easy going

[pasquill-l-s · 6/10 · 2 August 2012]

Not a bad film, unlike other reviews I have seen for it I believe that this film is a perfect example of a B-Film. The story line isn't too deep and the actors are not unbelievably gripping.

This being said the reasons most don't seem to like it are the exact reason it is an okay film, and an excellent example of a b-movie. Like all b-films it can be a mini-cult classic like almost every Bruce Campbell film and a background noise film, entertaining enough to be on in the background and for you to have focus every now and again.

If you want to watch an okay film I would recommend this for the sheer novelty, if you want to insult a b-film I would recommend another one like, erm, I know how many runs you scored last summer.

A nice surprise

[androndiane · 8/10 · 10 March 2008]

I'm still going over the film in my head and I've watched the DVD twice as well. No spoilers as I just wanted to comment on the cast. I thought it was refreshing to see real women in a desperate situation unlike so many horror films which feature nubile bikini wearing females in desperate situations. The cast felt like women struggling to survive in the Mexico frontier in 1890. Hard, half daft, angry and frighteningly ruthless. They quite embodied what it must have been like and they also looked like the type that could believably survive. No cutesy starlet bimbo types, but tough, rugged women who look they live through much abuse.

The feminine anger of betrayal and being degraded was etched into each character almost painfully.

I thought the odd speech patterns worked as it revealed damaged minds and souls.

The film wasn't perfect. The special effects could've been better and the action slowed a bit too much in the middle. Very sad and filled with a great helping of pain and grief. I found it riveting and much more enjoyable on the second watching.

What's with the black blood?

[charlytully · 6/10 · 10 February 2009]

Back in the good old days, black blood in a color movie generally was reserved for zombies. (Zombies with embalmed bodies sometimes had green blood, apparently on the theory that formaldehyde resembles classic anti-freeze.) In LEFT FOR DEAD, director Albert Pyun seems to arbitrarily alternate between black and the red traditionally associated with living mammals. In like manner, he randomly shifts between focusing on a love triangle featuring a mom-to-be and a mom carrying her still-born baby around with her for days in a bag, and a demon bent on revenging his own ripped-from-the-womb babe from 15 years earlier. This is NOT as bad a flick as those rating it a "1" make out, but it certainly is not a "9" or "10," either.

P.S.--I may not have seen a movie shot in Argentina before, but it tastes just like chicken.

Different, moving

[robintrainor · 9/10 · 6 March 2008]

I posted this in the message board but it might help here for those thinking of renting the film.

I read this quote by Martin Scorsese discussing a 50's film (Underworld USA?). I think the quote sums up LEFT FOR DEAD too, "the revenge story because everything feels a little bit unreal, both heightened and elemental.

...diverges sharply from anything even resembling mainstream movie-making--he was through with politeness and any sort of decorum--he had no desire to pull any punches in order to reassure his audiences. He was moving closer to the approach to film-making exemplified by Jean-Luc Goddard in France--direct, impolite, jarring to life with a clash of juxtaposed images and sounds."

Disappointing but still watchable

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 6/10 · 29 October 2012]

While searching for a deadly bandit that happens to be her husband, a woman joins an all-female posse hunting him down and eventually tracks him to a remote mining town haunted by a vengeful ghost intent on not letting them leave alive.

While this one wasn't too bad, there's not a lot here to really get much enjoyment out of this one. This is mainly due to the fact that there's just not a whole lot of horror elements to go around, as most of the time it's a Western film, as it's set in the 1880s, for instance, and while that makes a nice impression as to the uniqueness of the setting, it never really does a lot with it's horror elements. The ghost has a few bits of screen-time, which is fine as it's to dish out the kills or chases around the town, but the majority of the time is spent with the group spouting off at each other or an incredibly lame drama about the relationship between them all, and it just makes it hard to stay invested in the middle. Also problematic is the fact that it tends to show-off some pretty nifty camera tricks that are just plain pointless and irritating, from the slow-motion shots to the never-ending series of flash-effects used during the sequences. Add in more gunshots for the cause of death than anything despite some decent deaths when it matters, and it's a disappointing effort overall.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Nudity.