Dissecting Blade

March 6, 1999

Cult movies are a rare thing these days.

Correction, good cult movies are a rare thing.

Blade, based on the Seventies Marvel comic of the same name looked like a cheap exploitational flick when it was released in late 1998 but after watching it on the big screen and again on video (the litmus test for any movie worth its salt) Blade shone.

The reasons:

Good production design, a solid performance by Wesley Snipes as the vampire hunter and perhaps best of all, the moody score by Mark Isham.

Blade may look like a cross between Terminator and Batman, but at the heart of this latterday Van Helsing beats original lifeblood, thanks to British director Stephen Norrington.

Fans of T2 may recognise certain shots where Blade rides in on his bike and blows away anything that moves, or the moment when he walks past the dying heroine (come with me if you want to live) but the thing is, this movie cost a fraction of the former and has a certain freshness to it.

Snipes plays the tale straight down the line, his body honed to perfection, martial arts skills following close behind. The movie itself is definitely a film of its time. Pre-millennial tension oozes through every frame as villain Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) attempts to bring about the end of the world by initialising the arrival of the Blood God.

Thrown into the mix is ageing hippy Kris Kristofferson as Blade's wise, cancerous old ally Whistler.

"You have a lot of love for him, don't you?" intones Blade's love interest (N'Bushe Wright). "We have an arrangement," he replies. The thought of Blade expressing affection for anyone weakens both his and Snipes' image. In this world, kisses are replaced by clicking your partner's dislocated shoulder back into its socket.

Nice.

The finale is an exhilerating affair. The inevitable showdown between good and evil - or in this case, half good and pure evil - feels like you've drunk too much coffee or just crashed through a fitness high.

The visual effects are inevitably a heady mix of CGI and fast cutting. However, despite a cartoony feel, they work a treat. Director Norrington - his previous credit Death Machine hardly a movie to write home about - has now secured himself a ticket to the big leagues in Hollywood. Ten years ago, both Tim Burton and Jim Cameron were two visionary directors coming of age. In a world of pop promo film-makers, it looks like Norrington could be the next best hope and is surely a prime candidate to direct Batman 5.

On the sequel front, Blade 2 is already in the pipeline and no doubt will click into the same formulaic line of sequels - bigger, better, faster more. But if it does that would be a shame. This franchise feels more like an action movie for the thinking man - or woman. Okay, Snipes' posturing may keep the action fans happy but the soul of the picture is displayed by Mark Isham's moody tones. Like Danny Elfman before him, the soundtrack is an unorthodox blend of eastern and new wave - the opening slaughterhous scene has to be seen to be believed.

If you've never seen Blade, it's well worth a look on the big screen, but you could do worse than watch it on video, rewind and then watch it again.