Bloody kisses and fancy hair

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2019)

"Interview with the Vampire" is a 1994 horror drama directed by Neil Jordan starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. I've always been fascinated by the myth of vampires, undead and soulless wanderers of the night and and all the small details that belonged to the lore. For now 122 years, mostly influenced by Bram Stoker's infamous novel "Dracula", the stories have been retold and adapted ever since. I've almost watched every film that's related to this legend. So it was about time I got to watch this classic as well. First of all it's strange to see such a top-class cast playing in this film. Next to the leading gentlemen we have Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and a young Kirsten Dunst. Especially the last one gave an excellent performance and managed to stay on an equal level with the others throughout the whole run time. It's just wonderful how said actors harmonise on screen and no one ever steals anyone's show. They all undeniably share a genuine chemistry. Nevertheless, the screenplay shows both, brilliance and slight flaws. The dialogue and how it's written is sheer impressive, just the way it's worded, but the plot also fails to fully give the viewer the chance to sink their teeth into the characters (pun intended). At times they're too distanced and I never managed to reach the level of sympathy for them I hoped to reach. It's not like I didn't care for them, but also the slow storytelling provided that the film suffered from its length at times. A shorter run time would have done better. It may not sound like it, but that's not actually a big deal, there are countless aspects that make this film great. The way this whole production is filmed is just eerie and the cinematography creates a saddening atmosphere. It's a melancholic tale, philosophical and poetic, about life and death, loneliness and love, morals and values. Mostly the character Louis caught my curiosity. He has a lot in common with BTVS' Angel and you know I like that a lot, although it sometimes appears that the film wants to show off how handsome Brad Pitt is with his fancy hair. But he's not the only charming aspect of it: The sets and sceneries are impressively authentic and the costumes are extremely noble and well crafted. Furthermore, the effects and makeup are surprisingly brutal in the first case and seductively modest in the latter case.
Also the ambiguity of the whole vampire theme is clearly noticeable, it has a lot of erotic undertones and sexual innuendos. All in all, this stylish and handsome drama knows how to impress with looks and overshadow its flaws. It's enough to make it an enjoyable entry to the sub-genre, it has the phenomenal cast and exceptional design. It's good, but could have been a true masterpiece instead.