Vlad: El príncipe de la oscuridad

The only problem I had with this movie was the excessive and exaggerated use of the "shaky-cam". This can be an effective took, if used subtly. That was not the case in Dark Prince. I found it very annoying at times and once, it became down-right painful to watch. The good news is that its not always that bad. I enjoyed it and would recommend it for good acting, compelling story line, very good battle scenes, great sets and location shots, and captivating subject matter for those who want intelligent Halloween entertainment.

This film is based on the known history of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), son of Dracul (the name means either devil or dragon), who has come to be known through Bram Stoker's famous novel as Dracula. The film begins with Vlad confessing his life story to Greek Orthodox priests. He is caught in the weblike power struggles involving the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, Hungary, and the Moslem Turks. In the midst of all this, he tries to do what is best for his homeland.

The film illustrates the origins of the Dracula myth: blood drinking, impaling with stakes, fear of mirrors, rebellion against religion, and the doom of eternal life because he is cursed to be welcome in neither heaven nor hell. Vlad is presented historically as a Robin Hood freedom fighter, a George Washington of Romania, and a man who tries to bring peace and justice to his troubled land. Some see him as a Messiah while others believe he is the Anti-Christ. In some ways, Vlad can be viewed as a 15th Century Godfather.

The plot unfolds slowly but the movie is nicely photographed and well acted. Vlad himself is played as a moody, brooding, dark figure who easily gives life to the many legends that have become attached to his name.

This is another very well-executed TV-movie and is definitely worth watching. The fact that it premiered on Halloween night is appropriate because the atmosphere is quite spooky.

I can't honestly say exactly what caught my eye about this movie at my local video rental store. Perhaps it was just the Dracula title or possibly that it sounded interesting and a very different twist on the Dracula story. Here in Canada the movie was called Dracula: Dark Prince rather than "The True Story Of..." but still it caught my attention. The movie was phenomenal. The acting of each character was flawless and excellent. Having previously seen the lead Character portray Dracula previously on Buffy The Vampire Slayer (which was just a terrible episode) I was glad he got the opportunity to portray the famed killer again because he looks the part and he has it nailed to perfection.

The story is not the Dracula we all remember. The story is of the very human Vlad Dracul or (Vlad The Impaler) as history knows him. The prince of Romania who's father is murdered after Vlad and his brother are kidnapped by the Turkish Sultan who takes over Romania with an iron fist. Vlad's brother gives the Sultan everything including his body (seems the Sultan has a soft spot for young boys) but through torture, and starving Vlad perseveres and refuses to bow down to the Sultan. Eventually Vlad is released and with an army of Romanian peasants they take back their land. Vlad is considered their savior although by some he is called the Anti-Christ of Biblical prophecy. Throughout the movie Vlad fights to hold peace in his country and hold his throne. Every minute of this movie is captivating and interesting.

Whether it's exactly historically accurate really doesn't matter. The story is entertaining and brilliant written, acted, and directed and having been filmed in Romania, adds to the story. It's dark, and scary, and a truly worthy film. The unfortunate side was the lack of budget. Apparently this movie was made for TV and it was not given half the chance it deserves. With a big budget, they could have done a brilliant first class movie that could have held it's own in the theaters not just on video. People everywhere will be talking about this movie and it's unfortunate that critics, and movie theater lovers might not get to see this film. The movie also goes through the familiar "Vampire/Dracula" folk lore and explains where each myth came from such as "not being able to see a Vampire in a mirror" and "their retraction to light" just to name a couple. My suggestion right now is to go out and rent this movie, you will not see a better movie on your shelves. 8.5/10 (with a big budget could have easily been a 10/10)

The biggest reason why i love this movie so much because im from Balkan and Romania is my neighboring country and they are also Orthodox like myself. But thats not the only reason of course, movie was just wonderful (even thought it had low budget), Rudolph Martin was also great, location and music everything, I just loved it so much. The only problem i saw was the cover of the movie. Its very misleading, because this movie is definitely not about bloodsucking creatures, its about a Prince who would do anything to bring justice to his people and his country, even become a catholic, and his actions were seen as fight against God and his soul was condemned forever. Its a must see, especially for the people of Orthodox orgins.

This is a very loosely biographical based movie on Vlad Dracula, and it was a very refreshing change.

Roger Daltrey is the weakest actor, and he is pretty good.

Rudolf Martin was perfect for the role of Dracula, what a mix of passion, and vanity.

The story is fact based and if you know your history you can see it weaved though-out this tale. The sets are amazing for a fairly low budget movie.The fight scenes are fair to slightly above average, but this movie is so strongly written you can forgive the weaker fight scenes.

One of the Best Dracula movies I have seen, and by far the best low budget historical(ish) Vlad movie I have seen.