MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Gothic Horror/Stars: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Stephen Rea, Christian Slater, Kirsten Dunst, Domiziana Giordano, Thandiwe Newton (credited as Thandie Newton), Indra Ové, Laure Marsac, George Kelly, Marcel Iureş, Sara Stockbridge/Runtime: 122 minutes
Alright so I must be completely honest with you about something dear reader that I promise is absolutely important to the review I am writing for you today. That being that, Bram Stoker’s Dracula aside, I am not nor have I ever been one to really desire to read any volumes of fiction which deal quite extensively with that rather infamous creature of the night known as vampires. Of course, this shouldn’t be that surprising dear reader. After all not only are a fair majority of these stories extremely predictable thus robbing you of any genuine suspense and curiosity as to where the narrative is going to wind up (ooh! Someone just got their blood drained! How original!), but also there are so many elements that are repeated over and over again that the whole process can feel less like you are reading a book and more like you are reading someone else’s take on a specific creature-themed version of Mad Libs. With that in mind though, I do have a couple of friends who like the works of one Anne Rice and they told me about a cinematic adaptation of one of her novels that was not only directed by the guy who made The Crying Game (if you know, you know), but also starred quite the starry cast of talent included Tom “One-Man Stunt Army” Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten “Mary-Jane Watson” Dunst, and Antonio Banderas aka the guy who voiced Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise. It should come as no surprise then to learn that, despite my fairly significant reservations about doing so to say nothing of aforementioned aversion, I decided (after much in the way of “polite” intimidation and bullying) that I would at the very least give my friends the benefit of the doubt and check out this movie that they were really wanting me to check out. That film incidentally being a slice of cinema from the long ago year of 1994, and film I happen to be reviewing for you today in case you hadn’t yet put two and five together yet dear reader, known as Interview with the Vampire. Imagine my surprise then to tell you that I really do dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. To be sure, it might not be a slice of vampire cinema that will constantly make you check your vitals out of terror every 5 minutes, but with the aid of really solid work done both behind as well as in front of the camera, there is no denying that Interview with the Vampire should prove to be a genuine delight for fans of the source material as well a bloody good time for horror cinema fans such as myself in equal measure.
The plot is as follows: Based on the 1976 novel of the same name by Anne Rice (who also wrote this slice of cinema’s screenplay), Interview with the Vampire gets its fang-worthy narrative underway by taking us to 1990s San Francisco (seriously Hollywood what DID this place do to you?). It is here where we see as a young member of the reporter community is engaged in a conversation with another enigmatic individual in the middle of a gloomy room about the possibility of him being interviewed. Yet despite this conversation being one that the young reporter I am sure has engaged in countless times before, we quickly see that tonight is going to be perhaps a wee bit different for him. A belief soon crystalized into fact when the man he is interviewing claims not to be a human being much like (hopefully) you or I dear reader, but rather a member of that distinct group of supernatural creatures known as vampires. Imagine his, and our, shock then to discover that, despite his more than high degree of skepticism, the being in front of him reveals himself to be just that. Even more shocking though is the fact that not only does this vampire, one Louis de Pointe du Lac (or Louis for short), actually have no intentions of killing our intrepid reporter hero, but that he actually wants this opportunity. From there, our story proceeds to flash back about a solid 200 years to 1791 Louisiana where we see a still human 24-year-old Louis is a well-to-do owner of a plantation just outside of New Orleans. He also is someone who at best is deep in the grasp of grief due to the loss of his wife and child not even a half year before and at worst is someone who has no desire at all to keep being a part of the living world. In short: life has absolutely no meaning at all for our hero to such an extent that he would rather join his wife and child than spend another hour amongst the living. Of course, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise to learn that a particularly infamous woman known as Lady Fate might just have other plans for our hero. Plans that might just involve a vampire by the name of Lestat crossing paths with Louis one evening and, sensing his suicidal mindset, deciding to give him a choice to either die or join him and become a fellow member of the garlic hating, blood drinking, and sleeping-in-a-coffin community. A choice that will not only span the next 200 years and come to involve a little girl by the name of Claudia among others of varying degrees of morality (or lack thereof), but also see our hero learn that, despite the incredible powers bestowed upon him by the dark gift he has been given, maybe just maybe there are aspects of it that are more hellish than he could have ever imagined……
Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the various departments operating behind the camera (while by no stretch of the imagination flawless in any way) all still do their part in making this as fairly solid of a slice of horror cinema as it ultimately turns out to be. Without question, this starts with the work done in the director’s chair by Neil Jordan (1992’s The Crying Game, 1996’s Michael Collins, and 2007’s The Brave One among others) and this is definitely one of his more noteworthy efforts. Indeed there are several key elements that Jordan brings to this film that really help to distinguish it from other slices of cinema of a similar ilk. The first is that Jordan is able to do an absolutely outstanding job at bringing to the screen a wonderful atmosphere made up of equal parts creepy, grim, and more than a tad bit on the melancholic side as well. As a result, we see that this atmosphere not only operates as a wonderful reinforcement to the work done by the other departments behind the camera, but it also helps to place us in the world of the film in a way that feels true to the source material to say nothing of the cast of characters at the heart of it as well. In addition, we see that Jordan does a fantastic job of really providing that aforementioned cast of characters, especially Louis and Lestat, with a degree of depth and nuance that another horror film might not have thought to give them. As a result, we see that the characters and the intricacies they have with both themselves and each other prove to be consistently riveting and emotionally poignant despite the fact that they are, save for one, these creatures who are capable of these truly horrific acts. Along with the more than capable work done by Jordan at the helm, this film also contains a very-well penned screenplay by Anne Rice (adapting her own novel here). Yes, there are a few things omitted here and there, but overall this is an undeniably fairly faithful adaptation all things considered. Besides the work done by Jordan and Rice, this film also has some truly beautiful work done by Philippe Rousselot in the cinematography department. Indeed not only does he brilliantly utilize both shadows and lighting to reinforce the gloomy and creepy atmosphere conjured up by Jordan, but he also does a fantastic job of also engaging in some wonderful work with the camera in terms of both angles as well as movement to aid in establishing a compelling vibe of suspense and apprehension as well as using a vibrant range of color to really bring forth the depths of pathos that this movie is working with thus giving this story more emotional meaning than merely “vampires attacking and sucking the blood out of people”. Last, but by no means of the imagination least this section would be woefully lacking if I didn’t talk about the work done by Elliot Goldenthal on this film’s score. Indeed not only does Goldenthal’s work brilliantly strengthen the gloomy and grim themes that the film is working with to say nothing of wonderfully come across as both ethereal and haunting in equal measure, but it also at key points does a fantastic job of elevating the suspense present as well. Suffice it to say that when you also take into account some incredible effects work from Stan Winston, spot-on make-up and costume work, and well-done work from the editing department as headed by Mick Audsley plus Joke van Wijk among others it’s clear this slice of cinema might not be fangtastic in every way, but it’s still pretty dang solid all things considered.
Alongside the solid work done behind the camera, this slice and dice of cinema is also aided immensely courtesy of a collection of performances in front of the camera by an extremely well-chosen cast of talent who all do an incredible job at bringing their respective characters to life even if some are given perhaps a bit more in terms of narrative material to work with than others. Without any doubt in my mind, this starts with the work done here by Tom Cruise and this is definitely one of the more intriguing roles that this one-man stunt show has given us as movie goers in his career. Indeed as Lestat, Cruise gives us an antagonistical character that is undeniably charismatic and incredibly lively with a degree of gallows humor thrown in for good measure yet who also can be more than just a tad bit on the ruthless and manipulative side as shown by how he is willing to do certain things that I shan’t spoil here just to get Louis to stay by his side among other examples. Yet even though he is very much a monstrous individual, we see that Cruise also does a wonderful job of giving Lestat moments of vulnerability as well. Suffice it to say that it’s a solid performance from an actor who has definitely given us more than his fair share of those throughout his career. Besides the electrifying work done by Cruise, the film also features an equally as solid turn from fellow screen icon Brad Pitt in the role of Louis. Indeed as the titular vampire being interviewed, we see that Pitt does a terrific job here of giving this film a character that is continually finding himself tortured by both the creature he has become to say nothing of what it is that he needs to do in order to keep surviving (kill people and drink their blood), but also one that even though he has come to (however reluctantly) adopt this new monstrous nature is still desperately trying to retain some shred of his former humanity much to the scorn of others such as Lestat and (to a lesser extent) Armand. Indeed I know that Pitt was by no stretch of the imagination happy during the filming of this movie, but in some strange way I feel like that really makes his performance as Louis that much more meaningful and impactful as a result. Lastly, I feel like this section of the review would be woefully lacking if I didn’t take some time to talk about the work done here by Antonio Banderas in the integral role of Armand. Yes, it might take a fair bit of the movie before he shows up, but once he does there is no denying that Banderas is able to bring this character to life in such a way that he is able to make him this wonderful blend of charismatic, philosophical, and even lonely and manipulative as well. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in undeniably engaging work from such talents as Kirsten Dunst (who is absolutely amazing as Claudia), frequent Neil Jordan collaborator Stephen Rea (who I swear is playing the character of Santiago here more than anything like he’s simply the vampire version of Joel Grey’s MC character from Cabaret….though I’m not entirely sure that character wasn’t a vampire to begin with come to think), Christian Slater (taking over for the tragically lost too soon River Phoenix here), an early performance from Thandiwe Newton (credited in this movie as Thandie Newton), and a brief yet pivotal role for Italian actress Domiziana Giordano among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might have a few issues here and there, but thankfully the work done by this group of performers most assuredly does what it can to ensure those issues don’t wind up staking this movie in the heart.
All in all and at the end of the day is Interview with the Vampire a flawless slice of horror cinema by any stretch of the imagination? Sadly, as much as my friends who love this movie would love for me to tell you otherwise, I am afraid that I cannot do that here. With that in mind, is this the worst thing to happen to vampires since garlic dipping sauce, wooden stakes going through their hearts, the cost of coffins going up due to inflation, or (and perhaps most terrifying of all) the Twilight franchise?! Thankfully, and happily, I can most assuredly tell you that is not the case either. To be sure, this film does have a few issues here and here including the fact that not only are changes made which might cause fans of the source material to raise a bit of a skeptical eyebrow Dwayne Johnson-style, but also the fact that the overall tempo that the movie is operating with can fluctuate wildly from being as slow as a sloth working at the DMV all the way to quicker than the character of the Roadrunner from Looney Tunes. With that in mind, there is also no denying that the work done by Jordan at the helm is well-done, the cinematography is hauntingly beautiful, the script does a good job at condensing the fairly expansive source material, the score is wonderfully grim and melancholic, and the performances (with particular regard to the ones given by Cruise, Pitt, Dunst, Banderas, and Slater) are all solid despite the aforementioned changes plus an inequality of narrative substance to go around. Suffice it to say then that Interview with the Vampire might not be the best of the particular vampiric cinematic crop that has graced the silver screen since at least the release of Dracula with Bela Lugosi back in the 1930s, but if you are on the lookout for an entry in the horror genre of movie magic that manages to be equal parts slightly grisly and more than a tad bit grim whilst also feeling like a wonderful throwback at points to the gothic horror films of ol then this is definitely one fangtastic outing that I have no doubt you are sure to enjoy time and time again. Now if you’ll excuse me: I am about to engage in a sit-down chat with someone who has not shown up in a single mirror in my house and now I’m thinking I should go get a string of garlic ready. Not that I think I’m going to need it, but honestly I would rather be better safe than sorry…..wouldn’t you? Make of that what thou will dear reader! On a scale of 1-5 I give Interview with the Vampire “94” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
