One of the year's best...

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 1999)

Tim Burton's `Sleepy Hollow' is a truly fun experience. This film is beautifully shot and directed, the score by Danny Elfman was incredible (as usual) and Johnny Depp gives one of his best performances of his career.
This is Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's third collaboration together after `Edward Scissorhands' and `Ed Wood.' Their films get better and better with `Sleepy Hollow' being the best of the three. The film is atmospheric, giving it a new dimension; it's one of the best-looking horror films I have ever seen. The use of color, contrast and how they reflect off the costumes of the characters are used effectively. As before, Johnny Depp gives a masterful performance. He is one of our generation's best actors. He is well known for his contrasting roles and his vigorous research for each. His best performances include `Donnie Brasco,' `Ed Wood,' `Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' even though I hated the movie, and `What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' I have forgiven him for his cardboard performance in this fall's `The Astronaut's Wife,' which the film, more or less, belonged only to Charlize Theron. There were many moments in `Sleepy Hollow' where he is truly funny. His facial expressions are priceless and excellent across the board.
I will say that Christina Ricci is a very talented actress. She proved she is not just the girl from `The Addams Family' by moving to more adult roles in `The Ice Storm,' `The Opposite of Sex,' `Buffalo Â‘66' and `Pecker.' She is one of the best young actresses working today, but her character is somewhat underwritten and caricatured. She did the best she could with it and she was just fine, but I felt Andrew Kevin Walker (writer of `Seven') could have gone further with her character.
Anyhoo, this film has some great special effects and very exciting and very gory death scenes. It's so bloody that's it's almost funny. There was a great deal of comedy in this film, particularly with Johnny Depp's character. He was such a conservative and upright citizen that no one other than Depp could have played it. This is one of the year's most exciting and exhilarating films.