Veteran director Jim Jarmusch follows his recent vampire flick with his take on the zombie genre. In a small town in America, the dead start rising from their graves as a consequence of polar fracking knocking the earth off of its axis. The local townsfolk are in mortal danger, and it is up to the police chief (Bill Murray) and his officers (Adam Driver and Chloe Sevigny) to try to save the day.

A huge debt is owed to George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy, one that is explicitly referenced, though the satire is less sharp, and the opportunity to deliver an environmental message is not grasped. What makes the film so watchable is the stellar cast that as well as those previously mentioned, also includes the brilliant Steve Buscemi, a funny turn from Tilda Swinton, Danny Glover and Tom Waits who delivers a monologue at the end in a way that only he can.

I enjoyed the deadpan style, how people so readily accepted what was happening and the self referential humour. It is though, like the zombies, a little shambling and unfocused at times.

Rating: 7 out of 10