19. Interview With The Vampire; movie review

 

INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

Cert 18

117 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence and horror

The early 90s was a cultural desert for me because it was when we had our children.

Thus, in 1994, our son was four, and our daughter was just one, so visits to the cinema would have been irregular.

Therefore, I saw the likes of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs much later.

Unintentionally, I waited 30 years before catching up with Interview With The Vampire - while on a flight back from the Canaries to the UK.

I can now report that it is among the finest vampire movies I have ever seen.

This is down to the well-constructed storyline, fabulous sets and the wonderful performances of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst.

It was made when director Neil Jordan was in his pomp - between the terrific Crying Games and the excellent Michael Collins.

Its premise is that a reporter (Christian Slater) has stumbled upon the story of his career when he asks a stranger, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Pitt), to tell him about his life.

Thus, the tale is recounted in flashbacks from the 1700s onwards and outlines how Louis became a vampire and the consequences.

Central to it is the death of his wife in labour when he was a New Orleans plantation owner in the mid-20s.

In his despair, he wants to die, and his vulnerability is spotted by the flamboyant Lestat de Lioncourt (Cruise), who lures him to immortality.

The contrast between Louis and Lestat is at the core of Jordan's film and goes up several notches when they come into contact with a young girl (Dunst) who has lost her mother and father to the plague.

It is a movie with gorgeous sets, a plot that grabs throughout and a terrific cast.

Inevitably, there is plenty of fake blood and sharp teeth but don't let it put anyone off.

Is it Cruise's best performance in a movie? It just might be.

Reasons to watch: One of the greatest vampire movies

Reasons to avoid: The cast ham it up a fair bit

Laughs: None

Jumps: One

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? River Phoenix had been scheduled to play interviewer Daniel Malloy. Christian Slater stepped in after his untimely death.

The final word. Neil Jordan: "It's not very often you can make a complicated, dark, dangerous movie and get a big budget for it. (US producer) David Geffen is very powerful and he poured money into Interview. I wanted to make it on an epic scale of something like Gone With The Wind." Belfast Telegraph

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