Without doing anything particularly innovative, Rammbock: Berlin Undead manages to be an entertaining zombie flick that never relents once it launches into mayhem. It manages this by being a mere 63 minutes long making it a lean and taut zombie thriller. Director Marvin Kren’s film about the residents of an apartment complex banding together to survive the hordes of the dead rampaging through Berlin doesn’t waste any time going too far into character development or explanation, it just assumes the audience knows the genre and gives any necessary filler using newscasts as background noise. This is what more zombie features should aspire to, and you can’t help but hope for a sequel or additional chapters within the Rammbock world.
Michael (Michael Fuith) probably didn’t need to travel to Berlin to give back his ex-girlfriend, Gabi (Anna Graczyk), the keys to her flat in person, but he arrives just as the zombie outbreak begins and finds himself stranded in her apartment along with Harper (Theo Trebs), an assistant plumber, whose boss turns to a zombie before their very eyes. Fortifying themselves inside, Michael vows not to leave until he knows Gabi is okay, and by communicating with the other residents of the apartment via windows looking over a central courtyard they decide on their next course of action. Battling with zombies for supplies, the survivors soon mount an escape plan and set out for a boat that could be their only chance of salvation.
It’s not often you get to say this about a horror film, but for Rammbock it certainly applies: this deserves to be a longer film. Marvin Kren keeps the tension ratcheted up fairly high throughout and he focuses on the key element that makes horror survival stories compelling: the triumph and breakdown of humanity in the face of desperation. For such a rushed introduction to every character, Director Kren and Writer Benjamin Hessler manage to imbue their characters with back stories quickly and effectively without ever pausing the film’s progress to do so. We learn about Michael and his personality through his obsession over his cellphone and Gabi, and we get insight into Harper through a phone call and his actions in dealing with the zombies. It’s all very cut and dry, but when the pacing never gives you a chance to stop and ask questions, that’s all you need.
For the short time Kren gives us with the residents of the apartment, he makes great use of the building as more than just a setting. He turns it into a series of compartments that can be accessed as needed, each with its own potential benefits (supplies, medication, etc.) and downsides (more zombies, noise that attracts even more zombies, etc.). There’s a longer film to be had here, and if Kren and Hessler had felt inclined to further explore the building and the politics of survivor bartering, I don’t think anyone could have complained. However, as is, Rammbock: Berlin Undead is an entirely enjoyable pulse-pounding zombie film worth picking up.
DVD Bonus Features
There are two featurettes, one of which is particularly amusing. The 7-minute “Zombiefication” is a public service announcement in the vein of an airline emergency exit video, with a stewardess guiding the viewer through the process of identifying and evading zombies. Here’s hoping that in the distant future, upon the advent of the zombie apocalypse, that this warning video will be played before every feature. The second featurette, a fun 15-minute look at the creation of the film visits with the cast and crew talking about their experiences. It’s always fun to hear a director talk about how they choose to portray the unfeeling zombie hordes and the small nuances and twitches they encourage in the cast. The former is a definite must-watch, the second less so if only because the footage is very raw with only splashes of meaningful content tossed in. If you really enjoyed the film, you’ll probably find it interesting enough.
"Rammbock: Berlin Undead" is on sale June 28, 2011 and is rated R. Horror. Directed by Marvin Kren. Written by Benjamin Hessler. Starring Anna Graczyk, Michael Fuith, Theo Trebs.
