Critic’s Pick: ‘Cockneys vs Zombies’

Must-See Movies Beyond the Blockbusters

"Cockneys vs. Zombies" is the blue-stripe generic indie zombie movie – and that’s actually welcome now that it’s the end of a movie summer that began back in May. Helmed by Award-winning commercial director Matthias Hoene, the comedy’s modest aspirations reflect its main characters: gawky brothers Terry and Andy --Rasmus Hardiker ("Your Highness") and Harry Treadaway ("The Lone Ranger"). They're orphans who couldn’t shoot straight enough to blow the brains out of a walking corpse.

Wouldn’t you know that this loser pair decides to rob a bank to save the nursing home where their granddad (Alan Ford) lives with his aging mates the very day that London sprouts zombies? Sucks to be them!

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These inept armed robbers manage to score the cash only to find themselves in a London where they can’t spend it – and the posh and Cockney are linked by a curse that leaves them equally drooling and unfashionable. There is no class warfare once the zombies hit town.

The unexpected treat is the B-plot where the lads must rescue Granddad and his mates, leading to the 'big' chase scene. When zombies pursue one resident (Dudley Sutton) idly sunning himself in the nursing home’s garden, the turtle-paced senior must make his getaway with a walker, one step ahead of the shambling dead. It’s not 'Fast & Furious 6,' but it has its charms.

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The movie also provides an excuse for BBC fans to see favorite actors from bygone eras. Honor Blackman, who plays grandpa’s late-life love interest, oozed sophistication as Catherine Gale in 43 episodes of 'The Avengers" and Pussy Galore in "Goldfinger." Dutton was a regular on TV's "Lovejoy" and even co-starred with Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed in Ken Russell’s "The Devils." And Ford is part of Guy Ritchie’s regular crew, a familiar craggy face from "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."

Maybe it’s me, but after all the bloated, clanging, FX-driven summer tent poles, I’m partial to a gentle genre horror comedy that has gooey guts – but doesn’t throw the heart out with the steaming entrails.

Bottom Line: [Spoiler Alert] Cockneys Win