"Denn die Todten reiten schnell"

Rating: 10/10 (16 August 2006)

Vampires, nosferatu and the undead have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon over the years, with the countless re-tellings of the primera vampire story that is Dracula. From the publication of Bram Stoker's novel in 1897, it has succeeded in evoking fear and terror into the hearts and minds of the millions who read the Gothic magnum opus. There have been many adaptations of the Dracula story; F.W Murnau's German expressionist masterpiece, Bela Lugosi's elegant and sublime portrayal and Christopher Lee's various 'fangtastic' performances.
But for me the most faithful and best movie adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel is without a doubt 1992's aptly named 'Bram Stoker's Dracula'. With Francis Ford Coppola at the helm, what could go wrong? The movie was fabulous, visually stunning and capturing all the various aspects of the Dracula myth; the dark, Gothic horror and romantic sympathetic cruelty of Dracula's fate. And the cast was also fantastic with Gary Oldman doing a great job at the very complex and difficult role of Dracula and Anthony Hopkin's brilliant portrayal of his nemesis Professor Abraham Van Helsing. Winona Ryder was wonderful as Mina Murray as was Richard E Grant and Sadie Frost as Dr. Jack Seward and Lucy Westerner respectively. But the only disappointment was Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker. What horrible casting! Reeves' performance was drab and boring from his first terrible lines of dialogue, pulling off a hopeless English accent and making himself look the idiot acting opposite such distinguished actors as Oldman and Hopkins. Despite this little hitch, I felt that 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' was absolutely brilliant, with exceptional performances (minus Keanu), a great script and Coppola's usual genius as a director, this is one the best films of all time. I loved this movie.