Burton's mainstream masterpiece

Rating: Null/10 (23 November 1999)

This film exceeded all my expectations.
Most of all, I was thoroughly amazed at the wimpy-ness of the hero and his fears. It's nice to see a protagonist who isn't a gun-slinging muscleman, but an introverted, unsure and cowardly every-man.
The fight scenes are probably what really kept the movie going for me. Swords were flying and axes hacking in all directions. If it weren't for "The Phantom Menace," I would have said "Sleepy Hollow" had the best weapon use I'd ever seen.
Also, I was just enthralled with the horseman and his square-shouldered menace. As a "monster," I've seen few that held my attention as well as the Headless Horseman did.
As for the plot, which many legit reviewers have complained about, I had no problem with it. Rewriting Washington Irving's tale as a mystery was an excellent idea and the whodunnit kept me guessing! I also appreciated the spruced up supernatural aspects to the tale, which seemed right at place in the gloomy setting.
In closing, I found this much more watchable --- in a mainstream sort of way --- than Tim Burton's more eccentric works, such as "Ed Wood," "Pee Wee's Big Adventure" and "Mars Attacks!"