The Breed

I don't quite know what to say about "The Breed". It has a serviceable plot compromised by an alternate reality setting. The plot is straightforward enough - vampires and humans attempting to peacefully coexist and a series of murders which may be either a rogue vampire or a more sinister political plot to derail the process. The players are all decent (OK, perhaps Adrian Paul lays it on a little thick), and there are sufficient twists and turns to provide some sense of mystery and/or suspense. To its credit, the characters are well developed and you actually come to care about some of them. It even features a surprisingly engaging romance subplot. How much you can enjoy it, though, depends on how you react to the setting.

The setting appears to be an alternate reality version of current-day America. Some scenes confuse the issue by suggesting a European setting, but that doesn't explain the presence of an obviously American black detective. The vibe is strongly influenced by Orwell's "1984". Although references are made to historical events such as race relations in the 60's, WWII, Nazis and the Holocaust, the sense of reality is severely compromised by the setting. TVs all appear to be B&W sets from the 50's and automotive design seems to have stopped evolving in the 40's. Stylistically, it's quite similar to "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" - and that's not a compliment in this case since it's obviously not supposed to be a period piece as "Sky Captain" was. The scenes inside NSA headquarters especially were highly reminiscent of both the 1984 film adaptation of "1984" as well as several "Twilight Zone" episodes.

I should also add that I have only seen an edited for TV version broadcast on the SciFi channel. Some other reviews here suggest that the unedited version has some plot problems unrelated to the editing process.

Did I enjoy it? Not tremendously, although I did have a grudging appreciation for the audacity of how it was handled. Notably, it presents an interesting and unique version of the entire vampire mythos. Would I recommend it? Not necessarily. As I said, I feel somewhat conflicted about it. I rated it 6 out of 10 and have tried to explain that vote as much as possible. If what I've said hasn't put you off, then give it a try...

i swear i did, i like ling bai (wild wild west) and adrian paul (highlander). but there are better vampire movies out there, go check out blade (its awesome) and the upcoming blade 2. if youre looking for another wierd vamp b-movie, check out "Modern Vampires" , it was alright, or even john carpenters' "Vampires" or even that eddie murphy "vampire in brooklyn" movie ;p

anyways, in this movie, a cop and a vampire cop team together to investigate some bad vampire's doings. includes a couple subplots involving a vampire virus, and flashbacks into the holocaust.

the sfx is not much more than people with wires, nothing new. filmed in buhdapest it has quite a nice scenery tho.

After reading some of the comments here, i was expecting a horrible movie. However, after watching it, I was quite surprised. The Breed was alot better than i expected. I think people exagerated quite a bit when describing its faults. It isn't a gorefest or vampiric suckfest like some vampire movies. It was more like a moody detectives story set in an alternate/parallel reality type movie(I don't buy that future crap..not after watching the movie).

Anyway, I give it a 7/10. For vampire fans, definately worth watching. And hey...Ling Bai alone made this movie worth watching.

Unlike many films of this genre, The Breed offers a new look at the world of the vampire. The vampires in The Breed are remenicent of the great Count from Bram Stoker's famous novel.

The vampire effects are well designed and aid heavily in bringing the characters to life. Actors Adrian Paul, Bokeem Woodbine, and Bai Ling offer some good performances here.

The story of The Breed revolves around the creation of a buddy/buddy cop scenario in which one is human and the other is a vampire. Adding to the story and performances is the stunning gothic scenery that offer an Old World European look.

The Breed is a good film that transcends the traditional vampire flick and offers something new by replacing bloodshed for plot.

Made in 24 days for around 3 million dollars, this could have been another cheesy B-Movie Vampire flick. But its not. Set in a totalitarian future that the director admits is inspired by Terry Gilliam's Brazil, this is a moody piece where vampires are characters, not just monsters. Summary: if you go into it expecting Spielberg and big-budget effects, you will be disappointed. If you go into it expecting Corman and shoddy acting, you will be very pleasantly surprised.