Sleepy Hollow (1999)

reviewed by
Joy Wyse


 
REVIEW
By Joy Wyse, the SILVER Screen Critic
Sleepy Hollow

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee, and many others.

Directed by: Tim Burton

Everyone is familiar with Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, or so you think. You know that it's the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, isn't it? But how much more of the story do you remember? Doubtlessly, you've never heard the REAL story, the one presented here by a very talented cast and director. The tale begins with blood slowly dripping onto a flat surface, but what you think is blood is merely red sealing wax being used to close a hand-written will. In the next scene you see a carriage traveling down a misty lane and you hear hoof beats following. There's the sudden swish of a sword. A headless man is now driving the coach. Is this the headless horseman? No, it's the deed of the headless horseman. And how does Ichabod Crane come into contact with him. Well, he's a police detective in New York City who believes in solving crimes by examining the evidence. This drives his superiors crazy, so when the homicide report comes in from Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod is dispatched to the little town to "solve the mystery". This is a very good movie, but it's so involved that it's difficult to follow the plot all the time. In retrospect, you will remember who was who, and who did what. It really is a well-written suspense story. There are some unforgettable scenes, especially when heads are cut off. This motion picture could not have been made this well without the use of computers. To see a real actor's head rolling across the road really enhances the crime. I want to see it again?.soon. I give it an A- for sheer enjoyment, but don't take the kids. It's not for them. Heads will roll!

SEE YOU AT THE MOVIES.

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