INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE
A film review by Michael John Legeros
Copyright 1994 Michael John Legeros
Geffen Pictures Directed by Neil Jordan Written by Anne Rice, from her novel Cast Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater MPAA Rating "R" (presumably for excessive gore and violence) Running Time 122 minutes Reviewed at General Cinema, Raleigh (11NOV94)
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"I'm a vampire."
- Pitt to Slater
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE is a triumph of tone--a masterpiece of mood where atmosphere is everything. Like, say, Tim Burton's BATMAN, the sum here is more impressive than the parts. Forget the scavenger-hunt story and the lethargic line readings of Brad Pitt, Neil Jordan's follow-up to THE CRYING GAME oozes with enough malice to send even the toughest talk show host screaming.
Anne Rice adapts her 1976 novel about a pair of 18th Century vampires to questionable effect. Her dialogue is rich, but cumbersome, and the actors stumble through it better than they should. Best of the bunch is Kirsten Dunst, playing an Orleans orphan taken under the wing of the vampires. She'll get a nomination. Brad Pitt's a loss as Louis (Vampire #1), but Tom Cruise is toothy fun as his amoral, arrogant mentor, Lestat. Too bad he disappears in the second hour, though. His replacement (the smoldering Antonio Banderas) barely registers as a character.
The hide-and-seek story doesn't explain all of what's happening on-screen, suggesting that an earlier cut of the film was more coherent than what's presented here. Someone in the producer's chair probably pruned this baby in the interest of streamlining. INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE feels rushed at 122 minutes and forces the viewer to extrapolate the finer plot plots. Not good.
Condensing the story kills most of the visceral kicks, as well. In the second hour, for example, there's no build-up to the fiery finale; what should be a potent climax is little more than an amusing set piece.
Dante Ferretti's production design is a feast for the eyes; he's just one of the many top technicians who expertly drain the life from this story of death. One question: who's responsible for all the muted dialogue? Don't be surprised if you miss half of what's said.
BOTTOM LINE: Rushed at 122 minutes, it's still the best vampire movie
since Kathryn Bigelow's NEAR DARK.
Grade: B+
-- Michael J. Legeros Raleigh, North Carolina
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