On Rise Blood Hunter

2007-10-28

I rented the movie Rise (also called Rise Blood Hunter). The beginning of the film has Lucy Liu's character pick up a hooker played by Cameron Richardson. There's nudity. I thought that might get you attention.

The flick is about reporter Sadie Blake (Lucy Liu) who is seeking revenge against the vampire who turned her into one. She has to adapt to her new condition and deal with police and assorted bad guy henchmen.

For the most part, this is a reasonably good film. The story is handled well. The acting is really good. It was nice to see Ms. Liu be able to show such a range in one movie. She has to be the pre-turned character as well as the undead huntress. The character has to deal with a bereaved family, and angry cop whose daughter was also killed by vampires, and all of her own anger issues. The other actors did rather well also.

The cinematography could have been better. In some cases, the movie seems like it was filmed for a cheap after-school special. The director also tries to use black screens to build suspense. That's a sign of poor directing and suggests that the director should be sent back to film school where he can be beaten until he knows better.

In the interest of full disclosure in this review, I have to confess that I have a soft spot for Lucy Liu. Beyond just being a very attractive woman, she reminds me of an oriental version of my first girlfriend. Of course I should say that she reminds me of my memory of my first love; that all happened decades ago.