If you look at a movie through the lens of what the director is wanting to do, then 'Blade' is an unqualified success. Director Stephen Norrington wants to give you a fun, thrilling ride through a film that trades it's stock in equal parts "cool" and "badass". Seemingly born to play this role, Wesley Snipes plays it completely straight, but still as if he knows he's the hero of the story. The cool, badass hero. When cops shoot at him instead of the bad guy, he shouts "motherfucker, are you outta your damn mind??" as if the cops forgot he was the star of this picture. Stephen Dorff too, as the villain Deacon Frost, exudes such confidence in his role because Frost himself absolutely loves being the bad guy. He dresses cool, he has cool hair, a disdain for the vampire authority, and a whole band of groupies who treat him like a rock star. Any time you question the genuineness of the movie, here comes Kris Kristofferson or Donal Logue to say something with such casual normalcy, it puts you back at ease so you can continue the ride. I mean, this is a movie that casts Udo Kier as a vampire chairman of the board. And anytime you have Udo Kier in a role, you're not going for subtlety.
The action scenes are immensely fun, as it is anytime you have a hero who's just really good at his job. And Blade IS really good at killing vampires in ways that look amazing. Gunplay, swordplay or just good ol' martial arts badassery, no one is a match for Blade until the very end. And even then, it's not like you think he's going to lose the climactic fight. He's Blade, for god's sake! He defeats the bad guy, spouts of a one-liner than makes no goddamn sense at all, and you're still smiling ear to freakin' ear, because you've had such a good time.
FINAL SCORE 7.5/10
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| How can you root against this shit-eating grin?? |
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