"Vampires vs. Racists"

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What You Need To Know:
With a hopelessly disorganized script, SUNRISE has little or nothing of artistic or entertainment value. The movie vacillates erratically between a horror film about a vampire who preys on livestock, a drama about the lifestyle of immigrants in the Northwest, and a hard-boiled revenge thriller, neglecting to explore any of these stories on a deeper level. SUNRISE is also plagued with foul language, blood and gore, and ugly xenophobia (although the latter is condemned in the story). SUNRISE is about a vampire seeking revenge, not a Yeti, but it is abominable and totally unacceptable.
Content:
More Detail:
SUNRISE is a gruesome thriller set in a small town in the Pacific Northwest where the sole Asian-American family is terrorized by the white men who have the power in town. The family takes in a brooding drifter they find sleeping in their barn, and soon discover he was turned into a vampire by a forest demon in the surrounding wilderness. Already with a vendetta against the town’s racists for killing his African-American wife years before, the vampire starts killing the white men harassing his hosts.
With a hopelessly disorganized script, SUNRISE has little or nothing of artistic or entertainment value. Also, the movie vacillates erratically between a horror film about a vampire who preys on livestock, a drama about the lifestyle of immigrants in the Northwest, and a hard-boiled revenge thriller, neglecting to explore any of these stories on a deeper level. The only scenes that hold the viewer’s attention are the early monologues of the antagonist. As the antagonist, Guy Pearce delivers perhaps the only watchable performance, but even he loses the interest of the audience, as the constant and frankly absurd depictions of extreme racism become gratuitous rather than poignant.
SUNRISE is also plagued by foul language, blood and gore, and ugly xenophobia (although the latter is condemned in the story). Often, supernatural movies have a Christian or moral theme that guides the characters to stand up for the light against the diabolical forces at play. Not so here, as the demonic protagonist commits multiple murders in pursuit of revenge. At no point is any higher truth or moral message introduced to redeem the character or the story. SUNRISE is about a vampire seeking revenge, but it is abominable and totally unacceptable.