Sleepy Hollow (1999)

reviewed by
John Sylva


Sleepy Hollow by John Sylva Rating: C+

Tim Burton is one of the few directors in Hollywood that can realistically label himself as a true "artist," rather than simply a "moneymaker" or just a plain, old "director." Burton brings a high level of originality to each of his films, whether it be through breathtaking scenery, fast pacing, or oddball themes. Also the director of 1989's masterful Batman and its 1992 sequel Batman Returns, Burton can take the most unoriginal or mediocre of scripts, and transform them into spellbinding pieces of art. Unfortunately, for the first time I can remember, Burton doesn't deliver his usual promise as an artist, creating one of his few films that aren't absorbing from start to finish. The screenplay for Sleepy Hollow, written by (Andrew Kevin Walker), the classic tale of the headless horseman, told by any older brother or sister to their younger siblings to give them a fright, ruins what could have been a mesmerizing masterpiece, riding on the same mediocre level of many modern Hollywood films.

Exactly like the tale of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," originally written by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow takes place in a small, eerie town of the same name where constable Ichabod Crane (a lighter Johnny Depp) ventures to investigate the murders of several persons, in which the head of each victim hasn't been found. Townspeople gossip about the cause for the common atrocities is the Headless Horseman, a fierce, menacing and well, headless character who rides through the woods on his dashing horse, beheading those who he pleases. The story behind the villain frightens the clumsy Crane, as he will be the one venturing into the wilderness to find and explore the legend that haunts the minds of the townspeople.

On his first night of visiting Sleepy Hollow he meets Katrina Van Tassel (the fabulous Christina Ricci), daughter of Baltus (Michael Gamdon) and Lady Van Tassel (Miranda Richardson). From that night on, Katrina will serve as a sidekick of sorts to Ichabod, standing by his side for much of the remainder of the film. These two along with a large ensemble cast, including Casper Van Dien and Jeffrey Jones, fight to survive, as the Headless Horseman strikes numerous times over the course of the film. Once the exposition of Sleepy Hollow is pieced together, the film becomes a beautifully told, yet lifeless thriller that certainly has its moments of brilliance, but all in all fails to deliver.

The cinematography in Sleepy Hollow is indescribable. From the first frame of film to the last, the settings are magnificently beautiful, every little thing, from a tree to simple grave, Sleepy Hollow brings forth spellbinding images, fog floating abound in almost every scene, the sky always at a twilight gray. For this reason, Sleepy Hollow will be looked at by me as a clever work of art, not for it's script or acting, but for the scenery. Sleepy Hollow sets a new standard for how shockingly wonderful a movie's backdrop can be, not for a second looking the least bit ordinary.

Johnny Depp, who was starting to become one of the downright creepiest actors in the business, lightens up a few notches from his role in last summer's surprisingly good film, The Astronaut's Wife. Depp is flawless as his character, even if the lackluster screenplay does feed him a few laughably ridiculous lines here and there, giving him more than enough lame humor to act out.

Christina Ricci matures more and seems more sophisticated in every role she appears in, as she went from playing the little girl in Casper to Ichabod's sidekick in a film based on perhaps one of the greatest, most frightening legends ever to be told, in just 5 years. Ricci shows increasing promise with each performance she delivers, a promise showing that in coming year,s she will be looked upon as this generation's Susan Sarandon, or even Jodie Foster. Ricci conducts herself with such wisdom and perfection here, it's disappointing the film isn't as compelling and as satisfactory as her performance is.

Never did I think I'd be comparing Tim Burton films to low grade, campy slasher fare, but Sleepy Hollow is nothing but a mediocre slasher flick with beefed up visuals. What makes Sleepy Hollow lesser of a film compared to other kill-‘em-by-the-numbers flicks is that in the 1996 masterpiece Scream, and many films with similar themes to it, the predictability level is low because the battles are between two humans, and anything could be the result. In Sleepy Hollow, the battle is between a super human and regular man, resulting in no suspenseful sequences, as we can always tell who is going to win in a showdown. Without a few rare, choice sequences, and the astounding cinematography, Sleepy Hollow would be as bad as they get, resulting in one of the worst films of the year, but thank goodness Tim Burton is here to save the film from such an awful fate.

Tim Burton has everything established for a bang up, shocking culmination, but Sleepy Hollow's resolution is lifeless and mediocre, not suiting the capability of the film. A visual heaven it may be, but Sleepy Hollow cannot stand on images alone. Although Burton isn't at fault, his latest venture into his own genre is better saved for a weekend movie rental, said even though Sleepy Hollow is without a doubt the most beautiful movie of the decade.

The Bottom Line: A visual masterpiece. A technical flop.

Film Reviewed December 28th, 1999.

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