Rammbock

Plot

Michael, who has recently broken up with Gabi, visits her Berlin apartment to return her keys and hopefully save the relationship. He finds two plumbers there, and they do not know where she is. As Michael attempts to contact Gabi, a rage virus transforms people into bloodthirsty cannibals, and one of the plumbers attacks Michael. As Berlin falls into anarchy, Michael and the remaining workman, Harper, barricade themselves in the apartment complex and brace for an attack. They soon realize that the rage virus can be temporarily subdued by remaining calm or using sedatives. They also learn that the infected are photosensitive. The pair uses this weakness to attempt to make contact with the other inhabitants of the apartment complex. Michael, Harper, and Anita, a resident, attempt to break out of the apartment building and make their way to Gabi, whom Michael believes is in danger.

Cast

Release

Rammbock premiered at the 2010 Locarno International Film Festival and played theatrically in Germany and Austria in September 2010. It was released in the UK in October 2010. Bloody Disgusting and The Collective released it in the United States in June 2011.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 89% of nine surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 7.2/10. Boyd van Hoeij of Variety called it "singular enough to please more than just die-hard zombie fans." G. Allen Johnson of the San Francisco Chronicle rated it 4/5 stars and called it "intriguing and skillfully made". Marc Savlov of the Austin Chronicle rated it 3/5 stars and wrote that "although it adds little to the already overflowing canon of zombie-genre tropes, its brief running time is chock-full o' guts." Gareth Jones of Dread Central rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote that the story, characters, and performances make up for the lack of gore and derivative setup. Sifu Scott, also of Dread Central, rated it 4/5 stars and wrote that the film uses many familiar zombie tropes, but the execution makes it a film "not to be missed." Scott Weinberg of Fearnet called it "compelling but slightly unsatisfying". James Mudge of Beyond Hollywood wrote that the film distinguishes itself only by its German setting.