A Bloody Dose Of Realism

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2008)

This is a vampire movie with a unique twist - realism! I am not inferring that creatures like this really exist - this is fiction - but if they did, this probably would be the most accurate account of them because vampires are not glamorized here. In fact, the film pictures the vampire existence as a lonely, depressing one. At least we see that in the case of Brad Pitt's character here, a vampire who needs the blood but knows it's morally wrong to kill human beings for it.
The acting in this movie is excellent, which includes the star of it, Tom Cruise, and young Kristin Dunst. The latter was a surprise hit to me as the young vampiress (is there such a word?) who is trapped in a little girl's body. (Dunst was about 11 or 12 years old and not that well-known at the time of this release.)
What I was a little uncomfortable with were a few of the bloody scenes, particularly in the first third of the movie. They were too graphic and just plain disgusting at times. Also, there also were definite homosexual overtones between a few of the vampires. Was this film another attempt to push that agenda? Probably, but it seemed out of place in a vampire movie.
Perhaps the final song of the movies sums up its contents best: "Sympathy For The Devil," by the Rolling Stones. Hmmm.....an interesting choice for a closing song.