Balance

Rating: 6/10 (29 July 2005)

Thankfully, the performances of Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins counter the dreadful ones by Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder! I haven't seen acting this bad and accents this poor since DiCaprio and Diaz in "Gangs of New York." Coppola, as expected, is in fine form; and his dedication to Stoker's wonderful book is quite admirable. The eroticism is, once again as expected, lush; as is the dialog. Following the film's release, Hollywood began basing other films on the books that spawned them; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, most obviously. (What a "novel" concept: staying true to the books.) "Bram Stoker's Dracula" is well done; however, Reeves and Ryder are so clearly out of their league it, often, makes this film tough to watch.