Blade [DVD] [1998] - Steve Norrington

The recipe for Blade is quite simple you take one part Batman one part horror flick and two parts kung fu and frost it all over with some truly campy acting. What do you get? An action flick that will reaffirm your belief that the superhero action genre did not die in the fluorescent hands of Joel Schumacher. Blade is the story of a ruthless and supreme vampire slayer (Wesley Snipes) who makes other contemporary slayers (Buffy et al.) look like amateurs. Armed with a samurai sword made of silver and guns that shoot silver bullets he lives to hunt and kill 'Sucker Heads'. Pitted against our hero is a cast of villains led by Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) a crafty and charismatic vampire who believes that his people should be ruling the world and that the human race is merely the food source they prey on. Born half-human and half-vampire after his mother had been attacked by a blood-sucker Blade is brought to life by a very buff-looking Snipes in his best action performance to date. Apparent throughout the film is the fluid grace and admirable skill that Snipes brings to the many breathtaking action sequences that lift this movie into a league of its own. The influence of Hong Kong action cinema is clear and you may even notice vague impressions of Japanese anime sprinkled innovatively throughout. Dorff holds his own against Snipes as the menacing nemesis Frost and the grizzly Kris Kristofferson brings a tough cynical edge to his role as Whistler Blade's mentor and friend. Ample credit should also go to director Stephen Norrington and screenwriter David S. Goyer who prove it is possible to adapt comic book characters to the big screen without making them look absurd. Indeed quite the reverse happens here: Blade comes vividly to life from the moment you first see him in an outstanding opening sequence that sets the tone for the action-packed film that follows. From that moment onward you are pulled into the world of Blade and his perpetual battle against the vampire race. --Jeremy Storey