In "Rise", Lucy Liu gets one of the most complex characters of her career so far - certainly a far cry from the fluffy "Charlie's Angels" - and she is absolutely compelling to watch. She is by turns scared, confused, desperate, driven, brutal, ruthless, cruel, humane, compassionate. She is both a heroine (taking revenge against the serial killing vampire clan that left her for dead), and an anti-heroine (killing innocent people to survive). She is a victim AND a victimizer. And she is solidly supported by the rest of the cast: Michael Chiklis takes a role that could have easily been just a sidekick, and makes him important. James D'Arcy, as the head villain, is both repulsive and suave. And Carla Gugino manages to make a strong impression in about 10 minutes of total screen time. The director keeps the story tight, at least in the first hour (and I'm surprised that so many people found the film's simple time twists "confusing" - I wonder how long they would last in "The Prestige"....), and makes very judicious use of gore - there is just enough needed to make the point and move the story along, but not too much to slip into gratuitous excess. "Rise" does look and feel like a B-movie, but sometimes a well-made B-movie is preferable to an overproduced blockbuster. Those expecting an action / gore fest will probably be disappointed, but those who want a bit of depth along with the feasting on their menu (think "Interview With The Vampire" here) may like this more. (**1/2)