The Addiction

Abel Ferrara's moody, allegorical vampire tale makes fascinating and pointed statements on sin and redemption, spirituality and the nature of good (there's precious little of it) and evil (no one is safe from it). And unfortunately, but not surprisingly, it was relatively ignored in America.

Lili Taylor gives a brooding, glib and haunting central performance as Kathleen Conklin, a New York University grad student who is pulled into an alley and bitten by a seductive female vampire (Annabella Sciorra), from which she emerges uncontrollably drawn into a world of violence and insatiable cravings for human blood. Ferrara's irredeemable urban hell landscape is more immediate and frightening than a million Transylvanias and by contrasting Taylor's "addiction" to the horrors of the past (war atrocities, the Holocaust) and present (heroine, AIDS), the film has more bite and impact than any fang-bearing, gore or special effects could even attempt to muster up. Nicolas St. John's intriguing philosophical screenplay and Ken Kelsch's gorgeous black and white photography (creating a world solely of light and dark, which is a key element in the plot), are not to be overlooked either.

Call it pretentious for the philosophy references (Sarte, Nietzche...) if you want, but this highly intelligent and disturbing low-budgeter is one of the most accomplished and well-thought out horror films I've ever seen. Don't let over-hyped, attention hogging Hollywood productions like BRAM STOKER'S Dracula or INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE keep you from seeing it.

'The Addiction' is one of the most original vampire movies ever made. In fact, I can't think of another one quite like it. Abel Ferrara has made some strange and disturbing movies in his time, and this one is as strange and disturbing as any. Lili Taylor ('I Shot Andy Warhol') is brilliant as a troubled, soul searching philosophy student who has an unexpected and life-changing encounter with a mysterious stranger ('Cop Land's Annabella Sciorra). Dark, deep, sometimes blackly humorous, and frequently too obscure for its own good, this can be heavy going at times, but is never less than interesting. Christopher Walken, who did some superb work for Ferrara in his classic 'The King Of New York', has only a cameo here, but what a cameo! Walken is terrific and unforgettable. The rest of the supporting cast includes 'The Sopranos' Edie Falco and (briefly) Michael Imperioli, Paul Calderon ('Girlfight'), and Kathryn Erbe ('Stir Of Echoes'). This is a unique movie that will be appreciated by those with an open mind and preference for "difficult" viewing. Recommended.

"The Addiction" is a weird film directed by Abel Ferrara with wonderful black-and-white cinematography and cast with Lili Taylor, Christopher Walken and Annabella Sciorra among others. However the story is boring and pretentious for those that are not connected to philosophy with reference and citations of many philosophers. Therefore recommended only for very specific audiences. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Vício" ("The Addiction")

This movie was even scarier for me since I spent 2/3 of my life in New York City and all the settings were in my family's neighborhood!

The acting was first rate, as was the storyline and cinematography, but all the philosophical dissertations annoyed the HELL out of me because it reminded me of some of the intellectual snobs I went to school with who had lower IQ's than my cat.

Upon reading the previous review, it just occurred to me that all the snobbery made perfect sense.

The character was probably in shock for several weeks. In HER mind, a vampire wouldn't resist his or her impulses they would just become feral. As such, to her, this constant internal dialogue of trying to figure out whether or not her addictions are psychological or supernatural somehow proves her normalcy (at least in her universe).

Christopher Walken was GENIUS and so convincing that I never EVER want to meet him in person! His explanation of his adaptation to his vampirism made it seem so normal (it REALLY felt like he was giving the audience a confession under the guise of acting) that you got the sense that he WASN'T acting!

I have to say that the graduation scene is one of the single most disturbing things that I have ever seen in my life! I saw it coming, but never really acknowledged before seeing this, that horror movies are realistic because all the writers/directors have to do is open up the local newspaper to see what a real monster is!

After a freak attack on a city street by a strange woman, a philosophy student develops a hunger for human blood ...

This starts out right in the audience's face, with footage of a US army massacre in Vietnam, leading to counter-balanced reactions between the protagonist and her friend - but which don't seem connected to the title of the movie. Then straight on to the attack, which is done with style and does connect directly ... in to the thematic jugular, so to speak.

So we're set up for a reflection on the strange phenomenon of addiction, right? Well, through a jumble of philosophical aphorisms and paradoxes casually tossed out through dialogue the movie shifts to an exploration of the will to power, then to original sin, and ends with an off-the-shelf rite of religious redemption. But even if the line of inquiry were clear - say, by just settling on Nietzsche's version - none of this philosophy is brought to life on the screen. I couldn't find it in the structure of the story, or the dilemmas faced by the heroine, or in the cinematography or music (although I did appreciate being introduced to Eine Sylvesternacht).

The performances are mostly casual, with the protagonist going through a crude flip in personality before ripping off her clothes in a frenzy. Thankfully there is Christopher Walken, who provides the only real bite as a mannered, pitiless vampire - in the context of the climax, really a fallen angel.

The cinematography is mostly bland, the flat B&W shoved in as a gimmick with little thought for light and shadow. There are several episodes where footage of massacres is just plonked on the screen - contrast that with the emotion in the record of human violence as presented to Leeloo in The Fifth Element, when we see the reaction in her face. That's how to do it in a movie. On the other hand, the seedy energy of the streets is well captured, and the pace is OK.

What the film-maker sets up is the depravity of humankind, but solely for the purpose of ramming home his preferred brand of salvation. Not at all philosophical - just an exercise in scolding the audience for the sake of his own justification. So that would be a sermon, then.

Overall: Quite a mess. Amen.