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.
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