Quick Reviews!!

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2005)

By far the best Vampire movie of the decade, and probably the best in the last fifty years. Until someone makes I Am Legend properly, it will probably remain that way. Neil Jordan, famous for dark films, tone-wise, and light-wise directs this, giving probably his best film, and bringing out several brilliant performances from both well known, and unknown actors.
Brad Pitt stars as Louis, a vampire who decides to tell his epic life and death story to a modern day journalist, played by Christian Slater. Louis tells of his conversion to Vampirism by Lestat, a maniacal vampire played by Tom Cruise. He tells of his struggle to truly convert as he does not want to take a human life, but when he finds a young girl alone on a street, he turns her, and the couple raise her as their daughter. As years and decades pass, the friction between Louis and Lestat grows, and he eventually fights Lestat, leaving him for dead, and fleeing with Claudia, with whom he has become extremely close. They find a group of Vampires who wish them to join, but in a twist Claudia is killed and Louis is left alone. As we get close to present day, Louis again meets Lestat, and decides to tell his story.
Much of the film's best points are when Dunst is on-screen, as she gives one of the best child performances ever. The family dynamic provides many laughs, but is in reality a ploy to build up for the emotion shock of her death. Natuarlly this is not a bad thing, as we are genuinely saddened by her death. Pitt is sympathetic, Cruise gives one of, if not the best performance of his career, and the rest of the cast are all good. The sets are both exquisite and horrifying, there is plenty of gore, and the story is extremely involving. This is how 'traditional' vampire films should be made in the 'modern' era. 8 out of 10.