Horror Movie Review: Overtime (2011)

An independent zombie horror/action flick, Overtime was written & directed by Matt Niehoff & Brian Cunningham. It stars ex-WWE superstar, Al Snow & John Wells.

They play Ralph and Max, a pair of hitmen who kill bad guys. Only for a price though, that is set by their boss who is an attorney famous for getting her clients off even when everything points to their guilt. Once she’s been paid she sends Ralph & Max to finish the job.

Opening with the charismatic pair finishing up a routine job, Ralph needs to get back for his kid’s birthday party. In the doghouse already for working on a Sunday & getting shot in the arm, he is desperate to make things right with his long suffering wife.

Unfortunately for him, the job is only half-finished & there is a second target that they need to take care of. Simple enough, right? Kill the bad guy, grab the latest gaming console & make it back in plenty of time for the birthday!

Well, no. The pair get caught up in a zombie outbreak that threatens the entire world if they don’t deal with it. Trapped in a lab along with some of the staff, the duo must fight off hordes of zombies & a mad doctor all while avoiding getting any more blood on Ralph’s shirt!

Overtime is an entertaining film, one with some great acting from the leads & decent effects. It’s not breaking any new ground or saying anything original but the fast-paced action is thrilling & it is often funny in a light-hearted way.

Its low budget style is barely noticeable, the zombie scenes done in darkened locations that hide any issues with make-up but make the film still watchable. There’s also an interesting twist on the zombie idea here that makes for a nice visual effect.

Ultimately, Overtime is film driven by its two lead characters, Ralph & Max. Both do great jobs with Al Snow being more straight to John Wells’ constant peppy and upbeat demeanour. They play off each other well & are incredibly endearing. You want them to survive & you want them to make it to the party ok!

It’s more fun than you might expect and although Snow is a recognisable face (if you know your wrestling), his connections aren’t what makes his character memorable. He works hard & his deadpan delivery really sticks with you.

Considering how bereft of originality the entire zombie sub-genre of horror is overall, it’s not fair to give Overtime a hard time for lacking in that department. It makes more of an effort to be entertaining than 90% of modern zombie horrors so deserves serious pluses for that.

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