Blade Review
by James Brundage (brundage AT alltel DOT net)January 8th, 1999
Blade (1998, R)
Directed by Stephen Norrington (Death Machine)
Written by David S. Goyer (Dark City)
Starring Wesley Snipes (US Marshals), Stephen Dorff (City of Industry), Kris Kristofferson
(Lone Star), N'Bushe Wright (Dead Presidents)
As Reviewed by James Brundage
Who knew? Who knew that there was a brain beneath the thick skull of Wesley Snipes, able to not only produce, but to choreograph? And good God can he choreograph a fight scene. I haven't seen such elaborate ones since the John Woo cult action Hard-Boiled (which, sadly, you must experience subtitles in order to enjoy). I came into the lobby of the theatre with 0 expectation, and, after being cajoled and told how great it was by one of the workers (talk to them, people, they're good conversation), figured it might not be so bad.
He understated it.
The film, based on a Marvel comic book, is about a half human, half vampire (his mother was attacked while in labor) who psychotic evil vampire Stephen Dorff (did he get the role in the Ray Ban commercial after the role in Blade or visa-versa?) needs in order to become a vampire god. Check this guy out, he looks psychotic off the bat.
It grabs you in the opening credits, showing a particularly graphic picture of an innocent man taken into a nightclub full of vampires dancing to techno music, then cascading into an excellent fight scene in which Blade dispatches most all of them. If you have a hard stomach, it’s a treat and worth it.
It's not without its bad points. Like most action movies, it still needs lines that any one of us would ever say in our right minds, characters we can attach to, and victims we care about. But, wait a sec, this is a hard-core action flick we're talking about. To hell with having a brain… it was FUN!
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