Rent Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Dark Romance/Horror - Bram Stoker's Dracula review by GI

Presented as a dark, gothic love story this adaptation is probably the most faithful to Bram Stoker's celebrated novel although it does deviate from the book in many ways including the prologue which links the fictional Count with the historical figure of Vlad The Impaler. This is however a seductive, almost ravishing, tale of lost love that drives a warrior to renounce the God he serves to live beyond the grave constantly in search of redemption but increasingly becoming a monster. Director Francis Ford Coppola shuns the use of special effects (other in one instance) to use 'old style' in camera effects that give the film a sense of nostalgia for cinema itself. He concentrates on the power of obsessive love as the focus for the characters, it being so powerful that it pushes them into the realm of darkness. Gary Oldman is inspired here as Dracula, changing from old to young, man to monster and has all the best lines, his support cast are interesting to say the least with Anthony Hopkins on top form playing the slightly manic Van Helsing, assisted by Winona Ryder, Sadie Frost, Richard E. Grant and Keanu Reeves. Much has been made of Reeves casting yet his performance isn't that bad, slightly wooden though it is due to the forced English accent, and there were probably better choices available for the role but it doesn't detract from the sheer beauty of the film. The usual 'Hammer' type tropes of the vampire movie are either dispensed with here or utilised in a refreshing way. Overall this is a sexually charged, mystical retelling of a familiar cinematic story and a version that stands as one of the best. Worth checking out again if you were not convinced previously.