This film caught me by surprise. It is rare indeed to find well written characters in films today and much less so in horror films. These characters were incredibly well written and it is their relationships that bring so much power to the film.<br /><br />The film brings the grittiness and fear that made the original Night of the Living Dead a classic and added the intensity and ferocity of 28 Days Later. Now add well written characters to that recipe! The movie takes its time to unfold as you get to know the characters and slowly learn about the mayhem that is beginning to unfold in New York. The film aptly captures that gradual realization as the news stories begin to unfold in a crisis. It takes you from the who cares, the what the heck, and the OMG! As the city falls apart.<br /><br />Confession: I have never cried in a horror movie before and by the end I was bawling. And I wasn't the only one in the theater. When the lights came on, people were looking around and caught the others who were moved by it all.<br /><br />Reading about the other film written by Michael Damici (Fast Horses) there seems to be a theme of the unspoken love between men in his work. If that freaks you out, then you won't like the movie much. Otherwise, catch this film!