Land of the Dead (2005)

The living dead continue to hold dominion over the earth but the scattered remnants of human civilization have reorganized enough to establish protected outposts across the United States. One such outpost in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, contains a feudal-like government. Bordered on two sides by rivers and on the third by an electrified fence guarded by a militia, the city has become a sanctuary in which its citizens live in relative security. Outside the city’s barriers is a no-man’s-land of barren countryside and dilapidated suburban towns long deserted by living humans but overrun with legions of walkers. The rich and powerful live in a luxury high-rise called Fiddler’s Green, while the rest of the population subsists in squalor. All forms of commerce within the protected zone are controlled by Paul Kaufman, the city’s ruthless plutocratic ruler. He has sponsored Dead Reckoning, an armored personnel vehicle that can travel through the zombie-infested areas with ease.

Riley Denbo is the designer and commander of Dead Reckoning. Unlike Kaufman, Riley is respected for his work in protecting the citizens, as well as providing them with food and medical supplies that the citizens can no longer safely acquire themselves. Using Dead Reckoning, Riley and his crew venture into areas overrun with zombies to scavenge for necessary supplies. They also retrieve luxury items such as designer clothing and top shelf brands of liquor as these things offer a powerful means of barter within Kaufman’s oppressive oligarchic regime. On one mission, they notice many zombies exhibiting intelligent behavior. This was especially seen in one such zombie, “Big Daddy”, formerly a gas station attendant. During the mission, rookie Mike is bitten by a zombie and commits suicide before he turns.