A very near miss...

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2007)

A grave testimony to the importance of good acting even when all the other elements of a classic film are accounted for. "Dracula" 1992 comes damn close to having been the definitive screen realisation. It is, indeed, the only realisation to date which bothers to take a detailed, textured look at the Late Victorian period, which is richly detailed in the novel, and for that alone deserves commendation. The cinematography is lavish, and mostly very effective, although the lack of actual location filming becomes a mite conspicuous. Wojciech Kilar's score is even more effective, and generates most of the real emotion in the film, and here our problems begin...
In spite of a first-rate cast, there are no real stand-out performances, though Gary Oldman just about manages to carry every scene he is in. This is just as well, as Winona Ryder acts the part of his beloved with a terrible lack of conviction. Keanu Reeves has come in for a lot of criticism, and although it ought to be said that the screenwriter's conception of Jonathan Harker - as a weak-willed wet blanket - does not exactly give him a gift of a role, his delivery of certain lines (especially those requiring anger) is so unbelievably artificial it is a wonder that no-one demanded re-takes. Anthony Hopkins fares a little better, but fights a losing battle with over-the-top lines. On the other hand, he is good in the quieter moments, and provides some welcome macabre humour. Aside from Gary Oldman, the best performances are provided by Richard E. Grant and Tom Waits, who have full license to camp it up as a morphine-addicted doctor and his deranged patient. These roles are not, however, anywhere near as prominent as the aforementioned, and the film is often at its best when the actors have their mouths firmly shut and we can enjoy the music, design, and gloriously simple yet surreal visual effects (there is, thankfully, hardly any use of CG) on their own merits.
A cinematographic masterpiece, but - as drama - it veers from the acceptable (at best) to the banal (all too frequently). A gorgeous spectacle, nevertheless, but by no means an actors' film.