Cockneys vs Zombies backdrop
Cockneys vs Zombies poster

COCKNEYS VS ZOMBIES

2012 GB HMDB
August 31, 2012

A group of Cockneys arm themselves to rescue their elderly relative and his retirement home friends who are trapped and fighting off a zombie attack during a zombie apocalypse in the East End of London.

Cast

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Crew

Production: James Harris (Producer)Matthias Hoene (Producer)Mark Lane (Producer)Jenny Borgars (Executive Producer)Andrew Boswell (Executive Producer)Will Clarke (Executive Producer)Simon Crowe (Executive Producer)Michael Henry (Executive Producer)Chris Hunt (Executive Producer)Matthew Joynes (Executive Producer)Joe McCarthy (Executive Producer)Dan McRae (Executive Producer)Deepak Nayar (Executive Producer)Anand Tewari (Executive Producer)
Screenplay: Lucas Roche (Writer)James Moran (Writer)
Music: Jody Jenkins (Original Music Composer)
Cinematography: Daniel Bronks (Director of Photography)

REVIEWS (1)

Vincenzo de Divitiis
Andy and Terry, two unemployed brothers who became orphans as children, decide to help their grandfather, whom they are very close to, by organizing a bank robbery to find the necessary funds to save the nursing home where the elderly man is staying. Having succeeded in the endeavor thanks to the help of their cousin and two other local criminals, upon exiting the building, the makeshift gang finds themselves facing a tragic situation: the East End of London, in fact, has been infected by a virus that has turned all the inhabitants into zombies. The protagonists, after taking refuge for a moment in a warehouse, decide to head towards the nursing home to save their grandfather and his fellow residents. The relationship between zombie movies and comedy could be defined without any hesitation as the story of a nearly impossible bond, at least in appearance. Two film genres that, at opposite ends in form and content, have always winked at each other with the figures of the undead becoming easy targets for irony and parodic sequences. A mix that has grown and proven successful in recent years with works that have managed to combine the taste for splatter images with hilarious sketches, thus managing to attract a wide audience no longer confined to the usual niche. A new course, enriched by titles that have become cult classics such as "Welcome to Zombieland" by Ruben Fleischer and "Shaun of the Dead" by Edgar Wright, to which the German director Matthias Hoene wanted to join. His debut film "Cockneys vs Zombies", in fact, stands out for its ability to entertain and concentrate within it witty jokes in the full style of British humor and liters of blood. In short, there is something for everyone. What stands out most about Hoene is his ability to create a plot that is not particularly original but certainly well-crafted and with a good pace, a merit not to be underestimated given the difficult task of carrying forward a structure with two episodes that move in parallel before rejoining in the final part. Beyond these undeniable qualities, the story stands out for a slight social vein with the author pausing to photograph a London different from the one the average viewer is used to seeing on the big screen, that is, that of the working class. We do not see, therefore, postcard images and the typical monuments of the English capital, but the camera lingers on panoramas of dilapidated streets and factories whose fumes make the typically gloomy sky of the city even grayer. An apocalyptic scenario in which the characters move, who are well characterized and suited to the caricatured tone of the story. Among them, the figures of Andy and Terry stand out, played brilliantly by Harry Treadaway and Rasmus Hardiker, who fully embody the classic comic duo formed by two perfect bunglers and incompetents. "Cockneys vs Zombies", in conclusion, is an enjoyable B-movie capable of offering an hour and a half of carefree entertainment without disdaining splatter scenes in which there is a certain accuracy in the makeup of the zombies.
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COMMUNITY REVIEWS (3)

LastCaress1972

Andy and Terry Macguire (Harry Treadaway, Fish Tank & Rasmus Hardiker, Saxondale) are two cockney orphan tearaways. They're a little bit wooah, a little bit wheeey. But like all cockney orphan tearaways who are a little bit wooah, a little bit wheeey, they've got an 'eart o' gold, and they want to save their grandad's (Alan "Brick-Top" Ford, stealing the film) retirement home from imminent closure. How? By nicking a van that barely works, assembling a team made up of themselves, their sexy cousin (Michelle Ryan, EastEnders) and a pair of associates: the dimwitted Tuppence (Jack Doolan, The Green Green Grass) and the psychotic Mental Mickey (Ashley "Bashy" Thomas, apparently something of a name in the UK "Grime" scene which spawned Tinie Tempah, Tinchy Stryder and the like), and robbing a bank dressed as the construction workers presently digging up a large swathe of neighbouring Docklands area. It's here with a couple of the Docklands workers that the film begins, as they inadvertantly discover a sealed tomb in amongst the East-end mud. Sensing literal buried treasure, they venture in and are immediately set upon by a centuries-old dessicated member of the undead. So it begins, and so it escalates (a little too quickly, if I'm honest; one minute there are no zombies. A scene or two later, East London is a cordoned-off zombie zone, despite the film's constant allusions to how slow the zombies are), until before long the retirement home - choc-full of funny characters and a stand-out scene featuring Richard Briers in the slowest chase scene you'll ever see - is under heavy seige and our inept bank-robbers, who WERE under heavy seige at the bank from the cops, find their path cleared. Well, inasmuch as everyone in the street is now either dead or UNdead. With a couple of hostages from the botched bank job in tow, our crew of idiots have to make it to their warehouse rendevous and then decide whether to go and help grandad.

This is a very undemanding romp. "If Ealing Comedies did Zombie Flicks...", you could say. Most obvious comparisons I guess would be with 2004's Shaun of the Dead, and it's definitely in that ballpark (if not truthfully as smart). Shortcomings? Hm, well the glamour provided by Ms. Ryan seems totally superfluous, and the zombies whilst played seriously aren't quite played seriously enough, a result of which is that there is almost no sense of peril whatsoever; I know it's a comedy, but it's still a fairly gory zombie film too, and I think the filmmakers lose sight of that once or twice too often for my personal tastes. Still, I'm nitpicking. Ashley Thomas and Rasmus Hardiker are very good, and Alan Ford is superb, as entertaining in this as he was in Snatch, and we even find out whether or not West Ham and Millwall fans can learn to get along once they're undead. It's an easy and fun way to blow off 80 brisk minutes. What else d'you want, eh? You fahking cahnt! Gertcha!

leisuretrout

7 /10

What a bloody stupid/brilliant film! It does exactly what you'd expect, really. Doesn't outstay its welcome though, unlike some, providing a delightfully silly romp around East London's undead-infested streets. Some crackin' one-liners, intriguing and relatable characters, and a few "ooooh, hot DAMN!" moments. Given the original intention and audience expectation, this is spot on. How could you walk away without a big cheesy grin?! Love it!

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

6 /10

I've always had a soft spot for the Treadaway twins but even here, with Alan Ford doing his best Albert Finney impersonation as dad "Ray", this struggles to resonate. It's Harry ("Andy") and his best mate "Terry" (Rasmus Hardiker) who decide to assemble a gang to rob a bank. Ashley Thomas provides the muscle as the aptly named "Mental Mickey" and Michelle Ryan's "Katy" ain't no slouch either as their plans gradually take shape. What they don't account for, though, is the zombification of East London. Whether or not they successfully pull off their heist and avoid the police is secondary to their escaping an army of spellbound critters who have been bitten after an ancient graveyard was accidentally uncovered by a construction operation. Now these ketchup-sprayed monsters are persistent and there are thousands of them, so our gallant gang have to figure out a way to make it to the safety of a boat on the Thames before setting sail for? Canvey Island I suppose? Can they make it? This isn't a bad film, but it's hardly an original bone in it's body. There's a degree of chemistry between Treadaway and the quite entertaining Hardiker, but the rest of it is a distant sequel of "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) with an episode of "The Bill" thrown in for blue lights and good measure. It's clearly meant to be a spoof, and taken in that spirit it's a daft and predictable shoot 'em up that you'll never remember, but it does pass ninety minutes amiably enough.

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