Tim Burton on His Game

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2002)

Love that Tim Burton. In "Sleepy Hollow", he has taken the Washington Irving novella and rewritten it for the screen. Irving fans find this a sacrilege, but the story is not nearly as important as the storytelling. This is a Burton film remember, and the sets, lighting, costumes, and props all create an incredible visual, almost palpable environment. A Hudson Valley town circa 1800 via Gothic Mittel Europa. The visual atmosphere is cinematic perfection. This alone is worth the price or a ticket or rental. And the acting; Depp and Burton work very well together and this is no exception. Depp's Ichobod Crane, now a forensics detective instead of a schoolteacher, is just the right mixture of satire, false bravado, and fear. Christina Ricci is sexy and mysterious as his love interest/adversary. And an unbilled Christopher Walken, as the Headless Horseman, takes his role to the top, but not over.
I won't go into the plotting, except to say that outside of the title, locale, and the Headless Horseman, little is recognizable from the original story. But who cares? "Sleepy Hollow" is Burton at this best, and is well worth a visit.