EIFF 2013: Outpost 3 - Rise of the Spetsnaz

Film Review by Bram E. Gieben | 03 Jul 2013
Film title: Outpost 3: Rise of the Spetsnaz
Director: Kieran Parker
Starring: Iván Kamarás, Bryan Larkin, Velibor Topic, Ben Lambert
Certificate: 18

The new Outpost film, by Scottish director Kieran Parker, is set during World War II, eschewing the flashbacks of its predecessors, except in a short framing sequence. Parker was one of the writers (along with Rae Brunton, who takes the writing credit for this threequel) of the original Outpost, a Nazi-zombie romp set during the Bosnian War. Rise of the Spetsnaz hits a more successful note by beginning as a classic war movie, with plenty of period detail.

In a surprising turn for a now long-running horror series, Spetsnaz easily outclasses its predecessors. Characters are introduced with a canny disregard for exposition, and within minutes of the film's opening the Nazi zombies are on the loose. True, the film's action sequences often amount to men in rubber suits smacking seven shades of the proverbial out of each other, but the lack of CGI lends these scenes an enjoyably classic 'monster movie' feel.

The relentless, brutal and lovingly-rendered gore is all done in-camera too – fans of blood spurt will have plenty to delight over. The dialogue is riddled with more than a few action movie clichés, but this is no bar to enjoying the fast-paced, grimly serious character drama and epic bloodletting. For gore fans, this is a treat. [Bram E. Gieben]

Outpost III: Rise of the Spetsnaz is out on DVD 31 March through Entertainment One