The Breed

By Ed Hulse -- Video Business, 4/9/2007

Five college students (Michelle Rodriguez, Oliver Hudson, Taryn Manning, Eric Lively, Hill Harper) fly to a deserted island for sun and fun, unaware that it once headquartered a secret research project responsible for breeding genetically engineered killer canines—a ravenous pack of which has been left behind. Neither original nor innovative, Breed makes the grade as acceptable genre fare based on capable, straightforward handling of familiar elements. The ferocious, flesh-eating dogs (and they're real canines, not CGI-created simulacrums) make appropriately savage adversaries and wreak just enough havoc on the group to justify the film's R rating. It gets off to a slow start—the first killing taking place almost two-thirds in—and way too much time is spent in a cabin. But the cast is good, and first-time director Nicholas Mastandrea obviously knows when and how to shock his audience.

Shelf Talk: The killer canine subgenre, which blossomed with such films as Play Dead (1981), Cujo (1983), Man's Best Friend (1993) and, more recently, Rottweiler (2004), may not be as big a draw as movies featuring zombies or vampires, but Breed will no doubt find a receptive audience among horror fans. Starlets Rodriguez (Lost) and Manning (Hustle & Flow) both have fan followings, and tyro helmer Mastandrea is claimed in First Look's marketing materials to be a protégé of genre gurus Wes Craven and George Romero, which gives Mastandrea a pretty impressive … pardon the term …pedigree.