Potentially interesting but terminally flawed vampire movie

Rating: Null/10 (8 April 2003)

This film begins on a very interesting premise: the intrinsic sadness of being immortal, having to live from other people's blood, aimlessly wondering through time and history. Definitely a more existential take of the vampire myth. Unfortunately, it falls short of portraying these issues in a dramatically compelling way. Despite the remarkable art-direction and the unnoticeably creative digital effects, Jordan's direction is clunky and episodic without an acute sense of pace that might have given some life to a drab charting of events on a vampire's 200 year life span. There is practically no focal point in the plot apart from a vague sense of seeking some meaning in a vampire life, something that is forced in the movie than developed, lacking decent scenes to support it. When the film tries to get serious, it becomes laughable mainly due to badly written dialogue and to catastrophic performances. Tom Cruise tries but fails to become convincing as a brash, hedonistic vampire aristocrat, Brad Pitt is totally inept in conveying any sense of existential anguish and Banderas is as usually monolithic. A truly missed opportunity for a compelling take on the vampire myth.