Blade: Trinity

***Blade: Trinity*** is a 2004 American superhero film written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to *Blade* and *Blade II*. It stars Wesley Snipes as Blade, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, who also produced with Goyer, Peter Frankfurt and Lynn Harris, with a supporting cast of Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Kris Kristofferson, Dominic Purcell, Parker Posey and Triple H. The third and final installment in the *Blade* trilogy, the war between humans and vampires continues. However, the human-vampire hybrid Blade has been framed for countless murders by the vampire leader Danica Talos, who's determined to lead her bloodthirsty compatriots to victory. Now, Blade must team up with a band of rogue vampire hunters to save humanity from his most challenging enemy yet: Dracula.

*Blade: Trinity* was released in the United States on December 8, 2004.

The film grossed $132 million at the box office worldwide on a budget of $65 million and received mostly negative reviews from critics for its formulaic themes, directing and acting; it is the worst-reviewed film in the trilogy. The film was followed by 2006's *Blade: The Series*, and also marks Reynolds' first superhero role, as well as his first collaboration with Marvel Entertainment. Marvel regained the film rights to the character in 2012.

## Plot

A small group of vampires investigate an ancient tomb in the Syrian Desert, which they believe belongs to Dracula, the first vampire. To keep Blade from interfering, they frame him for the murder of a human familiar. FBI agents subsequently locate Blade's hideout and kill his mentor and friend, Abraham Whistler. Demoralized, Blade surrenders and is arrested.

The vampires' familiars have arranged for the authorities to turn Blade over to them. He is rescued by Hannibal King and Abigail Whistler, Abraham's daughter, who invite Blade to join their band of vampire hunters, the Nightstalkers. From them, Blade learns that Danica Talos, an old enemy of King, has revived Dracula, or "Drake", with the goal of using his powers to cure vampires of their weaknesses. As the first of the vampires, Drake is able to survive in sunlight. Along with newly-innovative ultraviolet "Sun dog" ammunition, the Nightstalkers have created an experimental bioweapon known as Daystar, capable of killing vampires at the genetic level. However, they need a purer blood source to make it effective. As Drake is too powerful to kill via normal means, they hope that the virus will kill him and, with his blood in the mix, ensure the rest of the species is wiped out; but also fear that this will include Blade.

Eager to test Blade, Drake isolates him from the Nightstalkers. He explains his view that all humans and vampires are inferior in his eyes and that he intends to wipe them from the Earth. Abigail finds evidence of the vampires' plans for human subjugation, a network of "blood farms" where brain dead humans are drained of their blood for vampire consumption. Blade deactivates the farm's life support systems and executes the familiar who had been rounding up homeless humans for the vampires.

Returning to the Nightstalkers' hideout, Abigail and Blade find all of them dead except for King and Sommerfield's daughter Zoe, both of whom have been taken captive. A recording left by Sommerfield, Daystar's creator, reveals that Drake's blood is all that is needed to make it complete and effective. King is tortured by the vampires for information, but refuses to talk, even when they threaten to turn him and force him to feed from Zoe's blood.

Blade and Abigail arrive and free the captives. Drake eventually bests Blade in combat and prepares to kill him with his own sword. Abigail fires the Daystar arrow, but Drake catches it before it strikes him. He drops it to the floor by Blade, not realizing the danger it poses to him. Abigail shoots Drake with another arrow, this time wounding him. Blade uses the distraction to stab Drake with the Daystar arrow, triggering a chemical reaction that completes the "Daystar" virus, releasing it into the air. The virus becomes airborne, killing Danica and the rest of the vampires. As Drake slowly succumbs to his wounds and the virus, he praises Blade for fighting honorably, but warns him that he will eventually succumb to his need for blood, thus proving that Blade is the future of the vampire race.

Using the last of his power, Drake shapeshifts into Blade. The FBI recover the body, but as they begin the autopsy, it transforms back into the deceased Drake. King narrates that Drake's final transformation was a gift so that Blade could escape, leaving Blade free to continue fighting his never-ending war against the forces of evil.

### Alternate endings

In the unrated extended edition, the body in the morgue does not transform back into Drake. "Blade" awakens as the autopsy begins and attacks the doctors and FBI agents present. The scene ends as he menacingly approaches a cowering orderly. King narrates that the virus did not kill Blade as the human half of his heart did not stop beating, it only slowed down, causing him to enter into a comatose state until his body was ready to fight again.

In another alternate ending, the Nightstalkers reappear six months later, having tracked a werewolf to a casino in Asia.

## Cast

* Wesley Snipes as Eric Brooks / Blade
* Jessica Biel as Abigail Whistler
* Ryan Reynolds as Hannibal King
* Dominic Purcell as Dracula / Drake
* Kris Kristofferson as Abraham Whistler
* Parker Posey as Danica Talos
* Callum Keith Rennie as Asher Talos
* Paul "Triple H" Levesque as Jarko Grimwood
* Natasha Lyonne as Sommerfield
* Haili Page as Zoe
* Mark Berry as Chief Martin Vreede
* John Michael Higgins as Dr. Edgar Vance
* Patton Oswalt as Hedges
* James Remar as FBI Agent Ray Cumberland
* Michael Anthony Rawlins as FBI Agent Wilson Hale
* Christopher Heyerdahl as Caulder
* Scott Heindl as Gedge
* Cascy Beddow as "Flick"
* Paul Anthony as Wolfe
* John Ashker as Campbell
* Eric Bogosian as Bentley Tittle
* Ron Selmour as Dex
* Françoise Yip as Virago
* Kett Turton as "Dingo"
* Michel Cook as SWAT Member