“We’ll do what the Egyptians did. Bury the architects inside the pyramid.”

ZombieDog’s rating: It’s a trip

ZombieDog’s review: I like music as much as I like movies. I especially like the equipment that I play my music on, so much so that I would consider myself somewhat of an audiophile. That’s a kind of person that, if they had to choose between a medical device or a new piece of audio equipment, it would be a tough decision.

Other than movies being played on these systems, both look for that perfect moment. My love of B-movies has had me searching everywhere for that movie experience that takes me to the place that I love. My love for music has come along with me on that journey. My point is that sometimes the search is longer and more difficult than you think because you have to overcome your own biases and preconceptions.

Making its debut at SXSW (South by Southwest Music Festival), Moonwalkers is a historical revisionist action heist movie. I actually struggled with trying to classify this film because it doesn’t really fit into a single classification. And while ultimately I think this cross genre effort benefits from fitting into multiple types, there are times when it gets a bit confusing.

Ron Perlman plays Kidman, an ex-CIA operative in the ’60s who is definitely on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He is tasked with making contact with director Stanley Kubrick and convincing him to make a movie of the moon landing. This is because the powers-that-be don’t think we will be able to land on the moon.

To this end, Pearlman makes a trip to London to meet with Kubrick’s agent. Chaos ensues and a chance meeting occurs with local band promoter Johnny, played by Rupert Grint (Harry Potter). Johnny realizes that there may be some money to be made from this encounter, so he pretends to be the agent.

After Johnny cons the money from Kidman, he quickly loses it to a local gangster who simply comes in and takes it. Kidman finds Johnny in no time at all and realizes he will have to go back to the CIA and admit his failure. However, moments before Kidman kills Johnny, Johnny offers a compromise: He knows a film director who can make the movie that Kidman is seeking.

This is a pretty standard setup and is nothing really creative. However, the combination of Perlman and Grint was brilliant in my opinion. I would’ve never thought these actors would’ve worked together, but they absolutely jive. Pearlman is a pro without a doubt, but I have to put the initial carrying of the movie right on Grint’s shoulders. I wouldn’t say he’s good-looking in the GQ sense , but he does have a screen presence. He totally nails this part like he was born for it.

Pearlman plays his standard tough guy, dishing out shotgun blasts to bad guys’ faces. Not to be outdone by Grant, in the second half Pearlman’s character completes a rather interesting arc.

Moonwalkers takes a halfhearted stab at romping through the ’60s and its memes, which is OK but doesn’t add much to the film. In no subtle way, this exploits the conspiracy theory of Stanley Kubrick directing the moon landings. That’s a decent background for story, and for the most part, it works.

Adding more strangeness to the pile, there isn’t a lot of information about director Antoine Bardou-Jacquet. This was the only movie he ever directed. Now he mostly directs commercials. I would really like to know the story behind this one. I think he is halfway talented and willing to take chances that other directors and studios wouldn’t. IMDb gave the movie a 6.1, which I think is unfair. This is a cult movie if I ever saw one. It has all the elements of cult films and decent actors to boot. I’m sure the fact that it only made $135,000 didn’t help. And while I am an advocate for creativity, I do understand people need to be paid for their time.

I don’t think I can overstate this enough, but Rupert Grint is one damn fine actor. I realize he’s a bit goofy looking and it’s kind of hard to visualize him in anything, yet his skill is over the top. Don’t forget he is a child actor and did all those Harry Potter movies from an early age, so if anything was a master class in becoming an actor, it would be that experience. I guess none of the child actors from the Harry Potter series really wound up breaking into the mainstream. Daniel Radcliffe probably had the most success, however all the films he chose to make were of the artistic type or at the very least off-center.

So, is Moonwalkers any good? Hell yes! This is a cult movie, straight up, and should be viewed with all the reverence of a midnight showing including the stink of weed and appropriate lingerie. The movie really is about Ron Perlman and Rupert Grint. The sheer power of these two easily propels the film to its conclusion, setting up a quasi-sequel which could be awesome. The idea of a retired on the edge CIA agent mixed up with a con man and whatever freaks they encounter pushing their way through Europe could be cool to say the least.

Antoine Bardou-Jacquet, I think you have a real gem here. In a culture where predictable stories get rehashed with predictability, maybe it’s time for your vision to finally be seen. I would love to see you take these characters one step further.