With all the World Cup excitement it seems as thought football has been dominating most people’s lives over the last few weeks. Football fans are sometimes perceived as mindless idiots, but in Goal of the Dead directors Thierry Poiraud and Benjamin Rocher take that slur to another level.
Paris are headed to play an end of season match against a lowly parochial rival Caplongue. Striker Sam Lorit (Alban Lenoir) is returning to play against his former club 17 years after he left them under a cloud. Whilst his career is nearing an end, young superstar Idriss Diago (Ahmed Sylla) is dreaming of a big move to London. When they arrive, Sam doesn’t get the hero’s welcome he hoped for. The naives are out for blood, but it soon becomes apparent that something is seriously wrong and he finds himself fighting for his life
Zombies and football are strange bedfellows, but whilst Goal of the Dead is an entertaining romp, it suffers from the lack of a strong narrative structure and a somewhat disjointed story. It’s played for laughs, and whenever potential drama threatens to add some depth, it’s quickly dispersed by a moment of dark humour. Hardcore zombie fans may be put-off by the dubious premise, odd inconsistencies and unconventional re-animated behaviour, but from start to finish Goal of the Dead is a fun rollercoaster ride with likeable characters, oddball French humour and a dark sense of the macabre.
Goal of the Dead is released on DVD by Metrodome on July 7
