La sagesse des crocodiles

I will honestly tell you, my reason for renting this movie was because of the brilliant actor named Jude Law. After viewing this movie twice, (I do that with all films I find intriguing, for I am a closet critic at heart), I have decided that, The Wisdom of Crocodiles, is Jude Law's best acting performance yet.

He manages to pull off charm, sex appeal, mystery, intelligence, hope, hopelessness, agony, despair, defeat, and last but not least, innocence. Do I have your attention?

Now I ask myself, can this truly be classified as a "Vampire Movie"? And when we utter that word, vampire, we ultimately see blood, fangs, and darkness and we remember Anne Rice, for she is the truest tale-teller of these malicious creatures. No, that is not what the Wisdom of Crocodiles represents. It takes every story, every image, and every idea we have of vampires and puts them in an interesting and unique perspective of a modern day bloodsucker. It allows you to feel what its main character felt. The range of emotions is spectacular. And you, as well as the vampire, nearly forget to breathe.

If you have not yet seen this movie, rent it today. Rent it yesterday.

I give my strongest standing ovation to the writers, directors, producers and actors who painted this picture into a true stroke of genius. Thank you.

For a vampire movie set in modern-day England, "The Wisdom of Crocodiles" is peculiarly bloodless. But then, vampire hunger is more a metaphor than a cue for screaming, and sucking in this chilly love story, a philosophical thriller that's no less intriguing for being murkily theological and ceaselessly artsy.

"The line that separates good and evil cuts through every human heart," Steven murmurs to Anna. And that's just one of the many quotable Steven spouts to explain his dilemma: He needs nourishment from a woman's love - but he is doomed to destroy love in the process.

Steven also sustains a Russian-lit-like relationship with a detective on his trail, a man who takes his Catholicism as portentously as Steven takes his existential crisis. Through all the agony and ecstasy, Chinese-born, English-educated film-maker Po Chih Leong, working from an epigrammatic script, sustains a luxury-loving interest in the play of light on texture: Fountain pens have rarely looked more sensuous, nor vampires more like aesthetes who are never too blood-starved to appreciate fine craftsmanship.

The film is named 'Immortality' in the DVD version I saw, and the alternative title is not listed in IMDb, which almost made it the first movie I would miss when doing a search in IMDb!

Not that I have too much to say about this film. It is certainly not an enjoyable experience. The script is bad, with literary ambitions that are never fulfilled by real emotions. The atmosphere (kind of London outside, definitely Beverly Hills interiors) brings nothing new to the genre. The plot is slow, trailing, and the end is what can be defined a real anti-climax. There is some good acting, though - Jude Law in one of his pre-A.I. movies gives me reason to believe that with some luck he will fall upon a great script, and a good director and make his Oscar day. It is not enough to save an un-pleasant and un-satisfying cinema experience.

Unless you are a fan of vampire movies, you have no reason to pick it from the shelves.

I thought this film was quite good and more genuine in its story, for it questions the wisdom of passion.Jude Law is incredibly vulnerable , yet fiercely determined ,in his portrayal of a lovestruck, obsessed vampire.The object of his desire is a very sassy lady who brings elements to the film that are unpredictable.Some of Law's scenes are gross, but therein lies a victim in him.It carries a lot of tension , for I did not know where the plot was going-I like that.I try to guess the outcome of movies as I watch them. A lot of movies are just too predictable; this one is not.If you like a different kind of vampire film, with a lot of emotion and some sexy love scenes, this is a movie you'll love.If you are a fan of Jude, by all means see it.He uses his eyes in incredibly intense and versatile ways. He is charming and kind to people.He's also not afraid of looking absolutely horrible.He's more than a pretty face, much more. I would compare this more to "Basic Instinct" and "Fatal Attraction" than any of the Dracula films. But be warned: although this is not your typical vampire film, there is a lot of bloodshed.

As a vampire-movie enthusiast I had some high hopes for this picture. Jude Law usually makes for pleasant watching and Elina Lowensohn matches perfectly. That's the first good thing about the movie that really stood out to me: the casting is perfect. Not stereotypical, but very believable and right on target.

The movie is a bit slow and doesn't offer a lot in the way of a horror-movie as most viewers might expect it to, but it tells an engaging story. The plot isn't overly original, but when you look at some of the details, it's obviously well thought out. I loved most of the dialogue: witty, to the point and original. No fake grandeur or excessive posing (like many vampire movies do have), subtle jokes and no giveaways by the characters.

The movie is a good one overall, but even on its strong points, it sometimes misses genius and excellence, so only a 7 for this one.