Dracula

Directed by: Francis Coppola Written by: James V. Hart Starring: Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Hopkins.

The picture goes out of control in the first 30 seconds and never recovers. Coppola seems to have had no idea what he was after. A lot of quick cuts away from the highly touted sex and gore calls into question the strength of its convictions; that may be OK, since some of the special effects are pretty cheesy anyway, which lends a real amateurishness to the proceedings. Oldman and Hopkins defend themselves against the ridiculous writing as best they can (basically by battering it into submission with over-the-top acting) and emerge more or less intact. Reeves and Ryder, both hopelessly miscast (and sporting fake accents which could be easily bested by any high school drama student) are not so lucky, unable as they are to rise above the level of the material. In short, despite some striking visuals, a mess and a disappointment. Will Coppola ever make a really good film again?