Simple creatures as they are, vampires have been around for what seems like eternity. They have also filled our movie screens for seemingly just as long. No will likely ever forget Universal's original treatment back in 1931, but much like the legend itself, the movies have tweaked their origins to suit themselves. "Blade" is a fantastic, brutal, and wild ride with a great new look at how these creatures liveÖ. And die.
Vampires live among normal humans, feeding on us when they need to. Paying off politicians and the police, they have succeeded in their lifestyle for hundreds of years. Now, rebel Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) has an alternate lifestyle idea for the bloodsuckers. The only thing in his way is Blade (Wesley Snipes), a half-human, half-vampire intent on ridding the world from the underground society even since he learned they killed his mother.
Within minutes, "Blade" earns an R-rating from the MPAA. Gushing blood, coarse language, and on incredible fight scene sets the tone the rest of the movie will rely on. In other words, if you can't take the opening moments, don't even try the rest of the film.
For what basically boils down to a creature feature, there is a surprising amount of character development. Obviously Blade himself is the focus as the script moves along, showcasing how he came to be and what he needs to do in order to survive. His sidekick in the action, Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), also has a nice storied past that fleshes out a basic vampire-on-the-loose flick. Both performances only make everything seem more realistic (why Snipes doesn't get more work is baffling).
Of course, that's not why everyone is here. Based off a dark comic of the same name, "Blade" has some spectacular action sequences, climaxing with an exhilarating sword fight between Frost and his nemesis. Everything is done is stylish fashion (before "The Matrix" would make it so commonplace) and the choreography never misses a beat.
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