Martin . Austin Chronicle . 12-22-97

Martin

DIRECTED BY: George Romero

REVIEWED: 12-22-97

A woman boards a sleeper car on a train, and finds a young man with a hypodermic in her compartment. He jabs her with the needle, they struggle, and when she passes out, he disrobes her, caresses her body, slits her wrist with a razor, and greedily drinks the blood. In true Romero fashion, the first few minutes of Martin are designed to grab the audience by the short hairs with a frighteningly personal opening segment. Martin (Amplas) is an alienated, sexually frustrated, severly confused modern-day vampire who is sent to live with his elderly uncle Cuda (Maazel) and work in his store. Martin's cousin Christina (Forrest) also lives with them until she gets fed up with the old man and the ennui of their lives and moves out. Cuda calls Martin "Nosferatu" and tries to keep him at bay with his Old World defenses (garlic, crosses) which only serve to annoy him. Martin eventually begins an affair with an alcoholic, desperate older woman, and sinks further into despair, eventually becoming a regular caller on a late night talk radio show. Martin hates his craving, wishing he could just be friends with someone, anyone, but it's a physiological need as powerful as a junkie's heroin habit. Romero uses Pittsburgh's abundance of Gothic architecture to good advantage, and includes flashbacks shot in grainy black & white from Martin's earlier life in Europe (though he looks about 18, he's actually in his eighties). No one said being undead was easy, and it's even tougher when you're dying of dry rot in grimy Seventies Pittsburgh. If this all sounds dreary, it is. Martin is relentlessly downbeat and has a molasses pace, but is nonetheless worthwhile to watch if you're in the mood for an uncomfortable, depressing Romero-style take on the vampire legend. Keep an eye out for the director himself as an ineffectual young priest, and makeup legend Tom Savini as Christina's fiancée.

Other Films by George Romero
The Affair
The Crazies

Film Vault Suggested Links
Blood Feast
Halloween: H20
The Shining

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