![]() |
Are you a patriot or a vampire? |
With great apprehension I sat down to watch Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt
about the 16th President of the United States hunting down vampires.
Much to my chagrin I was slowly drawn in by the film’s charm. Timur Bekmambetov
is the director. His most notable film for American audiences is probably Wanted. The cast is a group of talented
but relatively unknown actors. Benjamin Walker stars as Abraham Lincoln.
His supporting cast includes Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anthony
Mackie, Jimmi Simpson, Rufus Sewell, and Marton Csokas.
The
movie is a fictional account of the life of Abraham Lincoln (Walker). As a boy
his mother is killed by a vampire named Jack Barts (Csokas). Abraham
grows up knowing who his mother’s killer is and one day decides to strike. Abraham’s
attempt to kill Jack is a failure. Young Abraham would be dead if it were not
for Henry Sturges (Cooper) seeing potential. Henry inevitably trains Abraham to
kill vampires. After a period of slaying countless vampires Lincoln decides
that he wants a real life with personal attachment. He retires from
assassinating vampires and his life progresses. It would seem that Lincoln’s
life as a vampire slayer was over. Not quite! While serving as President of the
U.S. during the Civil War, Abraham’s past life comes back to revisit him.
Facing the extinction of human America President Lincoln decides to pick up his
axe and slay once more.
I
thought Benjamin Walker did a great job of playing Abraham Lincoln. During the
beginning I felt his character was rather ordinary but I suppose that was the
point. After all, the actual Abraham Lincoln struggled with defeat and failure
for quite some time. I’ve failed at various things in my youth and have been
left questioning myself. Dominic Cooper is charismatic as Henry Sturges,
Lincoln’s mentor and middleman. You really feel his presence when he is on
screen. Marton Csokas is utterly convincing as a plantation owner and murderous
vampire. Rufus Sewell is an integral
part of the film as the story unfolds and Lincoln ages into his fifties. Sewell
is perfect for playing the mastermind vampire who is behind the Confederate’s flawless
victories. Anthony Mackie and Jimmi Simpson deserve praise for their roles as
well. Overall, the cast is an extremely talented one and my expectations were fulfilled.
![]() |
Walker & Cooper |
With a
title like Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Slayer you can imagine that special effects are essential.
Thanks to Tim Burton producing the film the vampires as well as the combat choreography
were very well done. I really enjoyed seeing Lincoln swing his ax. The fact
that this film is set in the 1800s required skilled set design. These
ingredients all combined to make the key scenes in the film very believable. I
never felt like I was watching something cheap or too over-the-top. The music
used in the film is fantastic. It sets the mood perfectly. The score matches up
great with Lincoln’s narration in the film.
I would
recommend this film to my readers because it’s well balanced. The film does not
try to be something that it is not. The director carefully balanced horror,
drama, and fantasy into something cohesive. Add to this an exceptional cast
from the bottom-up and you have yourself an entertaining piece of cinema. As
long as you’re not going into this film expecting gold you will probably enjoy
it for what it is.
6.5 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment