Film Review: JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011)

 JUAN OF THE DEAD (JUAN DE LOS MUERTOS) (2011) Spain/Cuba 1hr 32mins

Director: Alejandro Brugués

"Juan of the dead, we kill your loved ones. How can I help you?" Vladi

"Man, I won't say it twice. This side of town is kind of weird." Lázaro

"I have the feeling that this situation requires a plan of some kind, which I don't have right now." Juan

I was holding off putting up my review of JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011) as I originally had plans to put it up the same month as I did SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004) because I had a great idea to do a kind of comparison thing between the two and maybe a couple of others but the recent news of Alexis Díaz de Villegas passing has caused me to rethink this plan. I have decided to post my review now as a tribute to the great actor he was. News of Alexis' death only reached me a few weeks ago but it was reported that he passed on June 24th 2022 from lung cancer aged 55, he will be sorely missed. The Cuban actor had a long career in TV, cinema and theatre having starred in numerous comedies, dramas and action movies from the late 90's onwards. For most of us in the zombie community he is best known for his role as Juan in the absolutely brilliant zombie comedy JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011).

Juan (Alexis Díaz de Villegas) and his group of workshy lay abouts; best friend Lázaro (Jorge Molina), his son Vladi California (Andros Perugorría), cross dresser China (Jazz Vilà) and the hulking brick shithouse that is Primo (Eliecer Ramírez) are trying to make a living from stolen goods when a zombie apocalypse breaks out in their city of Havana. The media and Cuban government are trying to claim that the walking dead roaming the streets are dissidents revolting against the government but Juan is beginning to think otherwise as the residents in his apartment building start turning before his eyes. Worrying for the safety of his estranged daughter Camila (Andrea Duro) Juan rushes to her rescue. With Camila safely back at his apartment Juan watches as half the city flees in boats, not wanting to do the same (that would mean he would have to get a real job) Juan comes up with a new service idea for the remaining people. He and the gang will rid the people of their zombified loved ones and dispose of the body for a nominal fee until all of this blows over. There comes a time when Juan realises that it may not be over soon at all and he must make a decision to save his family and friends or perish along with everyone else.

JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011) is action packed, quite gory and incredibly touching all at once. You instantly route for Juan even though at times he can be a bit of a pig, you can tell he really does care for his friends, family and neighbours. There are some brilliant scenes early on of Juan trying to help his elderly neighbour Yiya and her husband Rodrigo. Lázaro is funny (if a bit of a perv) who never gets anything right and will have you shouting at the TV in frustration but at the same time you can't be angry at him for long. Camila and Vladi add some romance with China and Primo bringing the extra comedy value what with Primo fainting at the sight of blood. The group get themselves into no end of dodgy situations that they have to fight their way out of, from group orgys in rental accommodation to being stripped naked and chained together in army trucks there is never a dull moment yet they still find the time to build the relationships between the characters inbetween all this insane zombie action.

The zombies are a mixture of fast and slow with the majority of them being the shambling types but there are plenty of them and they look and act great! There are some scenes with just the odd one or two pottering about but it soon escalates to street scenes of utter carnage. There is a scene in which a protest is going on with zombies wondering in and about the protesters which turns into a full blown riot. Hordes of undead released in their droves from buildings and a fantastic scene under the ocean which has a great tribute to ZOMBI 2 (1979). In fact, eagle eyed viewers may notice a few hidden easter eggs. The name "zombie" is only mentioned once by (and you get this one for free), Padre "I kick arse for the Lord" Jones (Antonio Dechent) as the rest of the time Juan and the crew have no idea what they are. At first they think they're vampires, then possessed before settling on the terms "dissidents" or "bastards" to refer to them by. Whatever they call them there certainly are some memorable kills. Some firearms are used but not by Juans gang. They have chosen more accessable weapons like baseball bats, slingshots, machetes, nunchucks and Juans trademark paddle which make for a bloodier kill but so much more fun! Action wise there is a lot of fighting and a great mass decapitation scene. CGI is mixed with practical FX with varying degrees of success but you get used to it very quickly.

It's a really well written story with just the right balance of everything. With the ending they have plumbed for a heart wrenching end rather than a bleak one and I love the way they blend it into a graphic novel style end sequence with the choice of "My Way" by Frank Sinatra but the Sid Vicious version as the final track. JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011) remains one of my top five favourite modern zombie movies ever! Those of you that don't do subtitles are really missing out on a truly brilliant and endearing zombie masterpiece. I tip my hat to everyone involved with this movie especially director and writer Alejandro Brugués for creating a hilarious and timeless movie. I can only score this top marks of 5 brains out of 5!!

JUAN OF THE DEAD (2011) is available to buy on DVD and Blu Ray via Amazon.