Coppola's commercial classic...

Rating: 10/10 (7 January 1999)

While Bram Stoker's Dracula was being made, the press made a lot of stink regarding this as Coppola's "Cape Fear", referring to Scorsese's big-budget remake of the original of 1962. Scorsese did a commendable update of that flick, but Coppola, a director known for his eccentricity and innovation, has taken an old myth and turned it upside down. I've never seen such visual effects, creating an expressionistic mood that would make F.W. Murnau (director of 1922's silent Nosferatu) proud. This is German Expressionism and Dali mixed together in color. On top of its visual power is the treatment of the Dracula story, remaining very faithful to Stoker's vision.
Gary Oldman turns in his best performance to date, both terrifying and compassionate, and is the most frightening Count since Max Schreck donned the Dracula gear back in the 1922 original. He takes on forms past filmmakers could only dream of putting on film. Obviously, the chemistry between Winona Ryder & Oldman is there. Hopkins is solid as always playing Professor Van Helsing, who has a few supernatural tricks of his own. Of course, Keanu Reeves is as solid as a piece of plywood, but that's another story.
It's the visuals and effects that really put an auteur's mark on the picture. You can tell a lot of money was spent, but Coppola utilizes every penny (something he has failed to do in some past films i.e. One From the Heart, Rumble Fish). We see some seriously disturbing images such as eyes in the sky and a stairwell in the Count's castle that seems to go beyond the infinite underneath. What a movie. This is a must see for all film fans and a reminder that Francis Ford Coppola has and always will be one of the best directors of all-time. Just sit back and let the film assault your senses.