Entertaining Urban Fantasy

Rating: 7/10 (27 July 1999)

I didn't expect to enjoy this film. Keanu Reeves is not the greatest actor on the planet and while Al Pacino may have been at one time, his choice of work has been a bit mixed of late. None the less, the pairing works and the fantasy/horror elements were nicely underplayed. The plot is relatively simple and is reminiscent of Wall Street in many ways, where an older city wise mentor advances and corrupts his young protege, but there are a couple of genuine surprises in there as well. The only real disappointment is in the final denouement where I was left with the feeling that American test screenings had resulted in some hasty revisions.