I have simply got to see John Carpenter's VAMPIRES. Yes, I'm a spoiled American that's used to seeing movies first. Then you people of France get to be the lucky guys and gals to see the latest gore fest from Carpenter... Life ain't fair... well it is if you reside in France... This report comes from those dark towers of the mind, and you will know him as Roland The Gunslinger...
You have had two well voiced reviews about John Carpenter's Vampires to date. I would like to add a third if you'd like.
I returned from a weeks stay in France tonight which culminated in a couple of free hours in Paris last night. Having seen the Lone Jedi's report before I left and having been bombarded with very COOL posters plastered all over the Paris Metro(subway), how could I refuse a chance to see Vampires well before its domestic release? Well, I couldn't and I wasn't disappointed! This is John Carpenter doing what he does best...a touch (well, more than a touch) of horror...a touch of action(O.K.,a buttload of action),and a touch of humor(without going over the top, like Escape from L.A.).
Harry, this one seriously is worth the effort. I just hope the cut I saw makes it to the screen stateside. The level of violence is extreme, but...come on,when you're dealing with undead blood sucking ghouls and the Vatican backed "slayers" who hunt them, when isn't it?
As the "raised by the Church vampire slayer", James Woods carries his role well. His screen presence lets you believe that "Jack Crow" will do whatever is necessary to get his "man"(or Nosforatu as the case may be) at whatever the cost. This is the most fun I've seen Woods have with a role since Against all Odds.(I know, an odd reference but Woods was particularly nasty in it.) Thomas Ian Griffith's portrayal of Valek...the Master, is a celluloid creature of the night who should be favorably compared with any film vampire worth his garlic...Sorry... couldn't help it.
The most compelling aspect of the film for me was the the back story of how "real" vampires were accidentally/paradoxically spawned by the "Church" and how the "Church" has spent the last couple hundred years trying to right the terrible wrong unleashed on the world. When this film does finally open on our shores, I think that the legion of John Carpenter fans will have something to "Crow" about.
"Roland...The Gunslinger"
