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"DAYBREAKERS" (2010) (Ethan Hawke, Claudia Karvan) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Extreme Extreme Heavy Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy Heavy Extreme None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Extreme Extreme Moderate Extreme QUICK TAKE: Horror: A vampire scientist tries to come up with a solution for an epidemic shortage of human blood that will soon turn the otherwise civilized blood-suckers into monsters before resulting in their mass extinction. PLOT: It's the year 2019, ten years after a vampire epidemic spread across the globe. Now with most everyone a blood-sucker -- many by choice to gain immortality -- those that didn't assimilate to that state are hunted down, captured, and then farmed for their precious commodity, human blood. The only problem is that with most everyone becoming vampires -- and then leading "normal" business and home lives like before -- humans are becoming an endangered species. All of which means human blood is running out, a bad development since thirsty vampires soon turn into winged, scary-looking and decidedly less civilized "subsiders" that will attack regular vampires. As a result, one of the leading corporate suppliers of human blood, Bromley Marks, is looking for a solution and CEO Charles Bromley (SAM NEILL) wants chief hematologist Edward Dalton (ETHAN HAWKE) and his associate, Christopher Caruso (VINCE COLOSIMO), to come up with a synthetic blood replacement. Edward wants to succeed, not for hopes of a promotion or even to quench his own thirst (he want to drink the real thing), but instead to save the human race, a desire he's held ever since his younger soldier brother, Frankie (MICHAEL DORMAN), bit and converted him over to the other side. Even Charles is conflicted as his daughter, Alison (ISABEL LUCAS), is still human and on the run somewhere. Edward ends up running into some of her kind by accident, and Audrey Bennett (CLAUDIA KARVAN) senses that he isn't like the rest of the vampires. Accordingly, she introduces him to other humans, such as Jarvis Bayom (CHRISTOPHER KIRBY), but also Lionel "Elvis" Cormac (WILLEM DAFOE) whose heart hasn't beaten for years. A former vampire, he now works with Audrey in trying to save as many humans as possible while avoiding the armed vampire military that's always on the hunt for fresh human blood. With only a short amount of time before that literally runs out and sends the vampire world into complete chaos, Edward does what he can to come up with a solution. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into vampire movies - and especially gory ones - they and fans of anyone in the cast might be interested in it. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong bloody violence, language and brief nudity. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: ETHAN HAWKE plays a vampire who hates being just that, having been violently converted to that immortal lifestyle by his younger brother. The chief hematologist working for Charles Bromley, he's racing against the clock to come up with a synthetic replacement to solve the world's shortage of human blood, but his efforts change when he meets Audrey and Elvis. He smokes a lot and uses profanity. CLAUDIA KARVAN plays a human survivor who helps run a sanctuary type network for her dwindling kind and hopes that Edward might be able to help her and Elvis defeat or at least keep the vampires at bay. WILLEM DAFOE plays her cohort, a former vampire turned oddity whose heart hasn't beaten for years due to a past accident that forever changed him. His goals are common with Audrey's, and he kills many vampires and uses strong profanity. SAM NEILL plays Edward's corporate boss who wants him to come up with a solution for the human blood shortage, not necessarily just to save their own kind, but also to make a profit while doing so. Accordingly, he isn't pleased when Edward flies the coop, or that his own daughter refuses to become one of them. He smokes a few cigars. MICHAEL DORMAN plays Edward's younger brother, a soldier who hunts down and captures humans for their farmed blood. He and Edward clash over their nature, especially when Edward appears to be conspiring with humans. He uses strong profanity. ISABEL LUCAS plays Charles' daughter who's become estranged from him due to not wanting to join him as a vampire. She briefly uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this horror film that's been rated R. Profanity consists of at least 13 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. There's a brief, sexually related line of dialogue, while nonsexual nudity (breasts and partial butts) is present from many unconscious humans used for farmed blood. Violence consists of vicious and deadly vampire attacks on people, as well as humans fighting and killing them, often with very graphic, bloody and gory results on both sides. That material as well as moments of potential peril and various visuals might be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary for some viewers, while the action might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Bad attitudes are present, as is a great deal of smoking, while tense family material also occurs. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's briefly some of that from lightning. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Frankie tells Edward, "Let's have a drink," but that turns out to be a bottle of human blood. Charles repeats a Civil War quote about the glory of war being all moonshine and that war is hell. BLOOD/GORE After leaving a suicide note, a vampire girl waits for the rising sunlight to hit her. When it does, her skin is quickly engulfed in searing flames and she screams in pain. We see transparent packets of blood that are sold to vampires. We see a massive room that holds various suspended and unconscious humans, male and female, for blood "milking" purposes. Some blood trickles down one person from the insertion point on their neck. We see an experimental blood substance being inserted into a test vampire subject. After his temperature goes up, he suddenly projectile vomits onto a nurse, while boils appear on his skin. Moments later, his head then explodes, splattering blood onto Edward, others and the observation window. Audrey has a little bit of blood on her head following a car accident. Audrey shoots a crossbow arrow through Edward's arm (that he later pulls out, painfully). Frankie tells Edward, "Let's have a drink," but that turns out to be a bottle of human blood. Edward doesn't want any and starts pouring it down the sink, while Frankie grabs the bottle and throws it against the wall, splattering blood there. Just then, a winged, scary-looking subsider pops out and tries to lick that blood off the wall. Frankie tries coming at it, but it backhands him hard across the room and into a wall, with him then falling and crashing through a glass table (leaving his face bloody). Both he and Edward then try to attack the creature that flies up and plants its feet into the ceiling, leaving it hanging upside down. Frankie then slices its belly open, spilling lots of blood, followed by stabbing and slicing it repeatedly before beheading it (seen in full, with lots of blood and gore). Later, when the police arrive, they examine the body and we see various bloody and gory wounds in close-up. Some blood splatters out when a Humvee crashes into part of a bridge that breaches the inside. We see a flashback to Elvis driving fast (by camera view) in his car. That then crashes into a post, throwing him through the windshield and flying through the sunlight, catching him on fire. He then lands in a body of water in the shade, and we see his badly burned skin (on part of his body). Audrey slices her own palm (we don't see the actual contact) and then lets her blood run into a cup for Edward to drink. He reluctantly does so, with a little blood left on his lips. About a nervous looking Edward being in their presence, Jarvis states that it's usually him "sh*tting my pants" when around vampires. A vampire complains about the low amount of blood in his purchased coffee. The woman behind the counter says the amount isn't set by them, with the angry man then grabbing and struggling with her. The blood packets then rupture, sending blood everywhere and thirsty vampires scrambling to lick up as much as possible. Edward tests a drop of Elvis' blood. Charles' daughter isn't happy to see him, especially since he's responsible for her capture. After he hugs her, he sees blood drip on his shoes and then blood soaking his shirt from her stabbing him with what appears to be a large letter opener (or something similarly shaped) that has his blood on it. Alison pushes Frankie back, with him then grabbing and violently biting her neck, leaving that, the floor and his mouth bloody. We see a very bloody Alison and then see that she's biting her own wrist (and presumably drinking her own blood). She then pushes her father back, leaving blood on his face. We see smoldering vampire body parts on the ground. Inside a cabin, we see very bloody and dead humans, including one who's been decapitated (we see the severed head). We see various monstrous subsiders that have various bloody wounds/lesions on their bodies as they're pulled, chained together, by a military vehicle out into the sunlight where they're quickly engulfed in flames and burn to nothingness. At various points in the film (especially in the third act), many vampires explode when shot with arrows or stabbed with stakes. Frankie bites Elvis' neck, with bloody results. We see some streams of blood going down a chair and then see that's from Audrey's wrists that are bound down. Charles smells and then drinks her blood from a wine glass. Charles bites Edward on the neck with bloody results. Many vampires savagely attack a man bound to a chair, with very bloody and gory results, including ripping off his head. Many vampires savagely attack another man, with very bloody results. A vampire grabs Audrey and she stabs him in the neck, with bloody results, and that man explodes when Edward gets him with a stake or arrow. Many vampires savagely attack recently turned humans, with very bloody/gory results. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The vampires have hunted and continue to hunt down and capture humans to farm their blood, with Charles' company being one of the chief suppliers and thus a profiteer from that. A vampire complains about the low amount of blood in his purchased coffee. The woman behind the counter says the amount isn't set by them, with the angry man then grabbing and struggling with her. The blood packets then rupture, sending blood everywhere and thirsty vampires scrambling to lick up as much as possible. Vampire police then show up and zap the attackers. While he doesn't watch, Charles knows that his daughter, now a subsider, has been pulled out to her death in the sunlight (but he shows no remorse). FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" as well as views of the subsider monsters may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. We see a sequence of photos showing the physical transformation of a human blood deprived vampire (going from normal to a scary-looking monster). Distracted while driving, Edward nearly hits a car in which Audrey and others are traveling. That car runs into a small electric substation (no one is electrocuted), while Edward barely stops short of doing the same to another. When he gets out, Audrey shoots a crossbow arrow through his arm (that he later pulls out, painfully). Edward then has them get into his car and hide as he tries to send some vampire cops, who've just arrived, on their way. Frankie tells Edward, "Let's have a drink," but that turns out to be a bottle of human blood. Edward doesn't want any and starts pouring it down the sink, while Frankie grabs the bottle and throws it against the wall, splattering blood there. Just then, a winged, scary-looking subsider pops out and tries to lick that blood off the wall. Frankie tries coming at it, but it backhands him hard across the room and into a wall, with him then falling and crashing through a glass table (leaving his face bloody). Both he and Edward then try to attack the creature that flies up and plants its feet into the ceiling, leaving it hanging upside down. Frankie then slices its belly open, spilling lots of blood, followed by stabbing and slicing it repeatedly before beheading it (seen in full, with lots of blood and gore). Edward hears a security alert that informs him the back door has been breached. He then slowly walks through his place and when he turns on the light in a back room, Audrey is suddenly there, aiming a crossbow at him. Edward parks in the shade of a large tree and cautiously gets out to meet Elvis, and must avoid beams of sunlight that come down through the leaves and branches. A vehicle in a human convoy gets a flat at night, and Jarvis realizes it's from a vampire dart. He and others then prepare their crossbows and regular bows and arrows. Vampires then fire darts at them, with the humans returning fire with arrows, causing the hit vampires to explode. This continues for a bit until all humans have been hit and subdued by the darts. Edward, Elvis and Audrey race to start an experiment as vampire soldiers head their way. When the soldiers arrive, guns at the ready, the three hide in an old vat, also armed. Edward subjects himself to a painful experiment where he allows sunlight to strike his body several times, catching him on fire each time (but there are no burns on his skin at any time following that). We see various monstrous subsiders that have various bloody wounds/lesions on their bodies as they're pulled, chained together, by a military vehicle out into the sunlight where they're quickly engulfed in flames and burn to nothingness. GUNS/WEAPONS Machine guns/Arrows/Stun devices/Sedative darts/Baton: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Elvis holds a rifle when Edward first meets him. Edward, Elvis and Audrey race to start an experiment as vampire soldiers head their way. When the soldiers arrive, guns at the ready, the three hide in an old vat, also armed. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Oh f*ck," "What the f*ck do you think it is?" "Frankie*ck that," "M*therf*ckers," "Frankie*ck it," "Frankie*ck you," "This is one f*cking ugly house," "I'm f*cked up bad," "So, who's the f*cking coward?" "Bullsh*t," "Pig sh*t," "Doesn't mean the end of sh*t," "This is serious sh*t," "Sh*tting my pants," "About as safe as bareback with a $5 whore," "It's nuts out there," "Life's a bitch and then you don't die," "Strong bastards," "Ugly son of a bitch," "What the hell are you doing?" "One hell of a sunburn," "Hurt like hell," "It's about G*ddamn time," "Well, ain't this nothing?" and "I do love a good barbeque." The fighting, action and other stunts, as well as vampire related behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate. Audrey slices her own palm (we don't see the actual contact) and then lets her blood run into a cup for Edward to drink. He reluctantly does so, with a little blood left on his lips. We see miscellaneous graffiti. Edward subjects himself to a painful experiment where he allows sunlight to strike his body several times, catching him on fire each time (but there are no burns on his skin at any time following that). We see a very bloody Alison and then see that she's biting her own wrist (and presumably drinking her own blood). JUMP SCENES A bat suddenly flies by the screen with a screeching sound. An old vampire suddenly claws out at some passersby. A test subject suddenly projectile vomits, followed moments later by his head suddenly exploding. A scary-looking subsider suddenly pops out in Edward's place. Edward hears a security alert that informs him the back door has been breached. He then slowly walks through his place and when he turns on the light in a back room, Audrey is suddenly there, aiming a crossbow at him. A dart suddenly lands in a human. A bat suddenly flies out from a vat. A subsider suddenly comes at Edward, but then explodes from a crossbow arrow fired into it. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful and ominous, as well as action-oriented and heavily dramatic music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 13 "f" words (2 used with "mother"), 11 "s" words, 4 hells, 1 damn, 1 S.O.B. and 3 uses of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY We see a massive room that holds various suspended and unconscious humans, male and female, for blood "milking" purposes. All are nude save for something small covering their crotches (thus bare breasts, chests and sides of butts are seen). At several times during the film, these views are seen again, mostly from a distance (with the numbers of them lower each time). Charles' assistant shows a little cleavage in several scenes. Edward asks if it's safe for some humans with them. Elvis responds that living in a world of vampires, it's about as safe as "bareback with a $5 whore" (presumably meaning sex without a condom). Audrey shows some cleavage and the shape of her nipples can partially be seen under her shirt. We see Edward shirtless as he prepares for an experiment. Audrey shows a little cleavage. SMOKING Edward smokes at least 10 times, Charles smokes a cigar once and prepares another one, and some miscellaneous characters smoke in a few scenes. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We hear that Charles' daughter is estranged from him after she refused to join him as a vampire. Edward and Frankie clash over their views of being vampires. Charles' daughter isn't happy to see him, especially since he's responsible for her capture. After he hugs her, he sees blood drip on his shoes and then blood soaking his shirt from her stabbing him with what appears to be a large letter opener (or something similarly shaped) that has his blood on it. A guard then enters and hits her in the face with his gun, knocking her out. We see a very bloody Alison and then see that she's biting her own wrist (and presumably drinking her own blood). She then pushes her father back, leaving blood on his face. While he doesn't watch, Charles knows that his daughter, now a subsider, has been pulled out to her death in the sunlight (but he shows no remorse). Christopher states his ex-wife is on the phone, but we don't know if that's the truth. A man must contend with seeing his brother savagely attacked and killed by vampires. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT We hear that Charles had cancer, and was then saved by the immortality that came along with being a vampire. Charles repeats a Civil War quote about the glory of war being all moonshine and that war is hell. About the synthetic blood, Charles states it's not about the cure, it's about repeat business for his company. The film's metaphors about species extinction, corporate greed, the breakdown of civilized behavior in times of shortages, etc. VIOLENCE After leaving a suicide note, a vampire girl waits for the rising sunlight to hit her. When it does, her skin is quickly engulfed in searing flames and she screams in pain. An old vampire suddenly claws out at some passersby, and vampire cops then jam a metal snare around his neck, followed by shocking him. We briefly see some subsiders hanging upside down and striking out at each other. We see an experimental blood substance being inserted into a test vampire subject. After his temperature goes up, he suddenly projectile vomits onto a nurse, while boils appear on his skin. Moments later, his head then explodes, splattering blood onto Edward, others and the observation window. We see news footage of vampire cops beating another vampire with batons. After Edward accidentally runs her car off the road and into an electrical substation (no one is electrocuted), Audrey shoots a crossbow arrow through his arm (that he later pulls out, painfully). Frankie tells Edward, "Let's have a drink," but that turns out to be a bottle of human blood. Edward doesn't want any and starts pouring it down the sink, while Frankie grabs the bottle and throws it against the wall, splattering blood there. Just then, a winged, scary-looking subsider pops out and tries to lick that blood off the wall. Frankie tries coming at it, but it backhands him hard across the room and into a wall, with him then falling and crashing through a glass table (leaving his face bloody). Both he and Edward then try to attack the creature that flies up and plants its feet into the ceiling, leaving it hanging upside down. Frankie then slices its belly open, spilling lots of blood, followed by stabbing and slicing it repeatedly before beheading it (seen in full, with lots of blood and gore). Later, when the police arrive, they examine the body and we see various bloody and gory wounds in close-up. Frankie suddenly grabs Audrey and holds a gun on her. When he brings her around, Elvis then aims his rifle at him. That's followed by some quick hitting, including Audrey pushing Frankie into the sunlight (briefly) and Elvis then knocking him out. Just then, vampire soldiers race up in a Humvee and riddle Elvis' empty car with machine gun fire. Elvis, Edward and Audrey then flee in Edward's car that's also riddled with gunfire, blowing out his driving cameras and leaving holes through which sunlight emerge (and Edward must avoid coming into contact with that sunlight). More Humvees then join the chase, with Elvis taking over the driving and heading across a closed bridge. One Humvee tries to do the same, but slides off and slams into part of the bridge, sending blood splattering out, followed by a large explosion. We see a flashback to Elvis driving fast (by camera view) in his car. That then crashes into a post, throwing him through the windshield and flying through the sunlight, catching him on fire. He then lands in a body of water in the shade, and we see his badly burned skin (on part of his body). A vampire complains about the low amount of blood in his purchased coffee. The woman behind the counter says the amount isn't set by them, with the angry man then grabbing and struggling with her. The blood packets then rupture, sending blood everywhere and thirsty vampires scrambling to lick up as much as possible. Vampire police then show up and zap the attackers. A vehicle in a human convoy gets a flat at night, and Jarvis realizes it's from a vampire dart. He and others then prepare their crossbows and regular bows and arrows. Vampires then fire darts at them, with the humans returning fire with arrows, causing the hit vampires to explode. This continues for a bit until all humans have been hit and subdued by the darts. Charles' daughter isn't happy to see him, especially since he's responsible for her capture. After he hugs her, he sees blood drip on his shoes and then blood soaking his shirt from her stabbing him with what appears to be a large letter opener (or something similarly shaped) that has his blood on it. A guard then enters and hits her in the face with his gun, knocking her out. Edward subjects himself to a painful experiment where he allows sunlight to strike his body several times, catching him on fire each time (but there are no burns on his skin at any time following that). Alison pushes Frankie back, with him then grabbing and violently biting her neck, leaving that, the floor and his mouth bloody. We see a very bloody Alison and then see that she's biting her own wrist (and presumably drinking her own blood). She then pushes her father back, leaving blood on his face. Some guards then grab her. We see smoldering vampire body parts on the ground. Inside a cabin, we see very bloody and dead humans, including one who's been decapitated (we see the severed head), the results of unseen violence. We see various monstrous subsiders that have various bloody wounds/lesions on their bodies as they're pulled, chained together, by a military vehicle out into the sunlight where they're quickly engulfed in flames and burn to nothingness. A dart is fired into Audrey and she falls to the floor, subdued. A crossbow arrow is then fired into a vampire, causing him to explode. Elvis and Edward then flee and hide from soldiers looking for them. A subsider suddenly comes at Edward, but then explodes from a crossbow arrow fired into it. Frankie bites Elvis' neck, with bloody results. Charles bites Edward on the neck with bloody results. Many vampires savagely attack a man bound to a chair, with very bloody and gory results, including ripping off his head. A car blasts through a glass wall, with machine guns fired at it, and Frankie shoots many of the vampire soldiers with darts. Many vampires savagely attack another man, with very bloody results. Edward stabs a stake into various vampires, causing them to explode, with one such explosion blowing him back. A vampire grabs Audrey and she stabs him in the neck, with bloody results, and that man explodes when Edward gets him with a stake or arrow. Many vampires savagely attack recently turned humans, with very bloody/gory results. A man shoots and kills various humans with a machine gun, but then explodes when he's shot with an arrow. Reviewed January 5, 2010 / Posted January 8, 2010

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