another Tim Burton winner

Rating: 8/10 (7 June 2007)

The strange, the bizarre, old legends have always fed Tim Burton's imagination and so, he had to discover and to get enthusiastic about the legend of the Headless Horseman. At the very end of the eighteenth Century, Ichabot Crane (Johnny Depp) is a young inspector who only trusts rationality to clarify the numerous murders in New York and he is indignant at the imprisoning ways for the culprits. To put his convictions to the test, the leaders of the city send him in a small isolated village, Sleepy Hollow to investigate on a series of murders committed by a mysterious headless horseman. As it was expected, his rational thoughts collapse but don't stop him from slowly garnering clues about the horseman. The whole affair involves manipulation, witchcraft and the authorities of the village seem to be the targets of "the monster".
Every time we're about to discover a Tim Burton piece of work, we can be sure of one thing that can be proof of artistic achievement: the aesthetic beauty that shrouds many of the filmmaker's works. From this perspective, "Sleepy Hollow" is an aesthetic refinement with its somber cinematography that highlights the disquieting landscapes, especially when the headless horseman appears. But also the shady places of the village. Black and gray are the prevailing colors of this Gothic tale. This visual splendor redeems certain clumsy steps of the plot where the interest somewhat depletes like for instance the moment when Depp is shaken in his bed because he realized the headless horseman existed and also the nearly end of the film when too many explanations about the horrid facts were given in one sequence. But the strong visual appeal of this tale which reminds the ones we used to read as children makes you effortlessly forget these weak points that also include the inhabitants' perception towards Crane. See his arrival in the village when the villagers close their shutters in front of him.
Once again, Johnny Depp owes a great deal to Tim Burton to have given him a role worthy of his wide acting skills. With "Sleepy Hollow", the filmmaker gave us a Gothic tale for adults, teenagers which is bound to remind them of their childhood nightmares as well as a momentous work in a prestigious filmography.