Half-Human, Half-Vampire, All Hunter...

Rating: 7/10 (12 May 2016)

"Blade" could have been yet another overblown blockbuster, but it differs in that its relentless nature builds excitement rather than smacking of desperate CGI-laced attempts to keep the audience interested. Wesley Snipes plays the ultra cool hero and you definitely root for him. Although it seems that sometimes he tries too hard at being a hero but most of the time he succeeds. What makes Stephen Dorff's character scary is his intelligence, which is expressed beautifully in the actor's eyes. He is probably one of the most convincing comic villains since Jack Nicholson in Batman. The acting is pretty run of the mill for the most part, with the standout acting being done by Stephen Dorff as Deacon Frost, spoiled brat and complete maniac (and vampire of course) and Udo Kier (even though he isn't in the movie for more than 5 minutes total) as Dragonetti, the head of the pure blood vampires. While Frost isn't your typical buff, brawny villain, he makes up for his conscipicous scrawniness with his intelligence and ruthlesness As I first saw it, the images blew me away. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed and shot and there's a really stylish atmosphere to it. The industrial soundtrack adds to the rhythmic editing and accelerates the fights. The special effects are somewhat weak, but this is a glossy B-Movie and that is part of the fun it provides. As I saw the brilliant "Matrix" one year later I realized that some shots seemed very familiar to Blade. The sardonic nature of the movie is further enhanced by the ability of the characters to poke fun at the ludicrous nature of the hyper-intense fights that propel Blade in his quest to rid the world of vampires. It's a journey that's enjoyably involving, despite the frenetic pace, and that's a rarity with any action blockbuster.
Overall rating: 7 out of 10.