Prophecy of the Tiger - Die Rache des Tigers

I finally saw Coppola's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (2000). Really, he was the Exec. Producer, but was running through his mind when he oversaw this film? This seems to be a pilot for TV series starring the underrated Adam Baldwin. Dr. Henry Jekyll is a plastic surgeon who goes to China for a honeymoon. While checking out a hospital, he is unwittingly forced to operate on a dying Triad member. The Triad dies, and the rest of the gang wants vengeance. They kidnap Jekyll's wife, and after stealing a kidney from Jekyll allow him to be with his wife before they die. Well as expected, Jekyll lives and is mentored by a doctor who introduces him to ancient Chinese herbs- especially those that can kill. Jekyll changes his name to Hyde, and goes on a vengeance spree against members of the Triad using Karate, Kung Fu and the herbs. I'm not making this up! Plot twist is that Henry Jekyll is the chosen White Tiger where it is written he is to protect the good Chinese people..... Aw Hell Pass!

Perhaps this was a pilot for a TV series? The ending was left wide open for a sequel; it was an incredibly abrupt ending (not saying more so as not to spoil).

It was entertaining, but not great. The connection to the original story is pretty slight, but I enjoyed the new twist on it.

When it comes to interpreting classic horror novels to the silver screen, Francis Ford Coppola is a funny one. Having already directed "Bram Stoker's Dracula" (a bad film) and co-produced "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" (a good film), it seems only natural that he would try his luck with a version of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Unfortunately, the only thing you'll find in common with Stevenson's mini-novel and this film is the title.

One can only imagine how this funny little film got into production. Coppola must have never even read the script. I imagine his agent gave him a call and said, "Hey, they need an executive producer for another Jekyll and Hyde picture. You've already done Dracula and Frankenstein. Another wouldn't hurt...we could sell them in a three-in-one DVD pack, because we're clever Hollywood marketers. What do you say?" Well, someone got fired over this deal, and I have a feeling that it was Coppola's agent (and quite possibly Adam Baldwin's as well).

Adam Baldwin, judging from his previous work (thankless but well-acted roles in "Independence Day" and "The Patriot"), was an ideal choice to play a young, charismatic Dr. Jekyll in Victorian London. Instead, this treatment gives us a Henry Jekyll who adopts a martial-artist crime fighter secret identity as Mr. Hyde, a being he mutates into (think the Incredible Hulk) after being revived from the dead by a mysterious herb while vacationing with his wife in Hong Kong. He then seeks out to avenge the death of his wife by transforming into Mr. Hyde, kind of like a really ugly caped crusader. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention that he is the prophesized "White Dragon" or something to that effect, destined to save the world, yadda yadda yadda.

The makers have taken what would have been a mediocre martial artist movie and made it worse by adding the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde theme, and loosly at that. My question is, who put this thing together? Judging from its low production values, I can only assume that it was originally a made-for-tv, would-be television pilot in the tradition of "Invisible Man," and, when it didn't find a distributor, was dumped on video as a feature film for the sake of Coppola's name. While some of the martial-arist fighting is indeed quite nice, for a cheap production like this, and Adam Baldwin shows potential as a would-be Jekyll and Hyde, I cannot recommend this film on any level. Gothic horror fans will find no Gothic horror, and martial artist fans won't find anything that hasn't already been done better.

To be fair, however, Coppola's previous efforts at Gothic horror have featured deceiving titles: "Bram Stoker's Dracula" had little to do with the Bram Stoker's novel, and "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" was more an effective homage to it than a literal interpretation. At least he successfully leaves the "Robert Louis Stevenson" out of the title (it might be because he is tired of Stoker's ghost haunting him and he'd rather not take his chances).

Final verdict: C-

*1/2 out of ****

This a very scary movie. It has great acting. It also has great special effects. It also has great story line. If you do not get scared off this movie then no movie will scary you. Doctor Jekyll's wife his murdered. He wants revenge. He find a chains drug that bring out his inner evil. The is a master masterpiece in terror and revenge. A great horror. Best one one of the best horror books ever. This a very scary movie. The 1912 version is better. The 1920 version is better. The 1932 version is also better. So is the 1941 version. But still this is a great movie. This movie is a must see. Adam Baldwin is a great actor. Steve B.a.s.t.o.n.i

This film has as much to do with the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, of the same name, as the Pope has to do with "break dancing." I don't know where the producers scraped up the chutzpah to give it that title, but they have turned the term shameless into an Olympic event.

Those flaws aside, it's not bad. No, it's not GONE WITH THE WIND; but by no means is it a Pauly Shore vehicle, either. It has some good messages (i.e. Drugs bad, Mafia bad, Old people and orphans good, Chinese herbal medicine good, etc.) and a few good moments of action. If they had toned down the violence and had been honest with the title, this film could have made a pretty decent feature for adolescents. Unfortunately, of course, that's not the case. Also, the ending came up so fast and unexpected, I unintentionally laughed.

If you like your story pretty obvious, sprinkled with some so-so attempts at humor, then this is for you. Indulge, just don't tell your neighbors.

Not recommended, unless you've been burgled and that's the only movie they left...and it would be...*sigh*.