PLOT: A man, Fallon (Alex Pettyfer) roams the land as a creature of the night as he comes to terms with tragic loss of his family at the hands of a brutal demagogue, Reynolds (Guy Pearce).
REVIEW: “The Sun Never Sets On Evil” may just be the most generic tagline for a vampire film possible. So I understand if you, like myself, are trepidatious when it comes to Sunrise. The basic vampire formula has been used time and time again but I always appreciate it when someone has an interesting new vision. On the surface, this is a simple story of a vampire helping a family get justice. But it’s so much more than that. I’ve always believed that it doesn’t matter how generic the story is, so long as it executes those ideas. And Sunrise provides a beautiful tragedy with some wonderful performances.
While I know he’s got a bit of a reputation for his behavior, I quite enjoyed Alex Pettyfer as the vampire, Fallon. He has a good presence to him and is quite stoic. It works extremely well. There were elements of his character that I wasn’t expecting. Ultimately, he managed to take a fairly bland role and give it a little intrigue. I also enjoyed Crystal Yu as Yan, the matriarch of the Loi family. Their acceptance of Fallon’s help is believable and how she plays those moments of stillness is really impressive.
Guy Pearce is one of the most underrated actors working today and he’s a standout in Sunrise. Reynolds is a slimy and despicable man, and Pearce seems to revel in it. There’s a reserved wickedness to him that makes him intimidating. It’s clear that he’s known to do some bad stuff with how the townsfolk act around him. They aren’t entirely able to keep the momentum going with his aura and go in an odd direction with his character. I liked where he ended up, but the journey to get there had some strange twists and turns. He’s an obvious highlight.
It’d be hard to talk about Sunrise without mentioning the racial element. Reynolds is a white supremacist and is very comfortable making it known to others. His conflict with the family is entirely based on race, with him not wanting Asian farmers to “pollute the lands.” It adds another layer of evil to Reynolds while commenting on a very real issue. It can be a little on the nose, but I don’t think it ever entered the territory of unbelievability. And I’m not going to delve too deeply into the plot, because I think the mystery is what makes the film work.
I’m not familiar with director Andrew Baird’s prior work, but I was extremely impressed with his command of Sunrise. It’s a beautifully shot film that manages to be grounded while dealing with some fantastical elements. I loved all the little details, like the coat that Fallon wears being absolutely frayed from usage. There was clearly plenty of love and care put into this one, with some truly stunning shots.
It’s not all sunshine, though, there are some subplots that don’t entirely land. I won’t provide context out of fear of spoilers, but it made for a frustrating second half. I get what they were trying to accomplish with the son, but everything involving him slides into convoluted territory. Reynolds’s daughter is introduced, and her entire arc is handled in a very confusing way. I understand trying to raise the stakes, but I wish the film had continued its less-is-more approach. Another draft would have done wonders for this script.
There’s a little bit of sloppiness in the third act that takes away a bit of the shine. I’m not sure why they felt the need to ramp up the story to such a degree, as the more subtle approach was working well in the first half. There are several events that could have been handled better but thankfully, they don’t ruin the overall narrative. Several shots are burned firmly into my mind as the visual language really appeals to me. I quite enjoyed my time with Sunrise and could see this showing up on lists for Underrated Vampire flicks for years to come.
SUNRISE IS OUT IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND/DIGITAL ON JANUARY 19TH, 2024.
