BENJAMIN WALKER DOMINIC COOPER ANTHONY MACKIE MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD RUFUS SEWELL
Abraham Lincoln: VAMPIRE HUNTER
Maybe it’s the most bizarre movie concept of the summer, but I will say this for Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel and screenplay: it’s unique and dedicated. For those of you unaware, Seth Grahame-Smith is a young author who took stories that we know very well, be it famous literature or history, and inserted zombies, vampires and some unholy Wise Men. When I first heard about Hollywood trying to adapt his book Pride, Prejudice & Zombies I thought it would be a fantastic feat. However, it’s stuck in limbo and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is the first of his three books to make it to the screen. You better believe that after this we will see the other two hit production fast.
We first meet Abraham as a child, defending his best friend Will, who is being beaten because of the color of his skin. When the young child and his parents try to stand up for Will, they become a target for employer and slave owner Jack Barts (Marton Csokas), who is also a vampire. History says Nancy Lincoln died of milk sickness, but what nine year old Abraham saw happen to his mother created a vengeance inside of him. As a teenager Abraham tried to avenge Jack for the death of his mother, but failed. Instead, he was saved by Henry Sturgess (Cooper), who trains him to become a vampire killer. Abe moves to Illinois as a secret vampire hunter for Henry while also dabbling in politics. He soon becomes a champion for civil rights and a secret defender of living people against the dead.
There are lots of embedded humor in this film, but the editing plays it off in a smart way. For instance, it will go from a chaotic, fiery, blood splattering kill fest to Abe and Mary Todd (Winstead) picnicking on the grass. Say what you will about this movie or Smith’s idea to alter (but not change) the past, but I think this script is very smart, surprisingly original, and the film as a whole is thoroughly entertaining. The battle sequences, which include many Abe vs. scary, disgusting vampires, a horse stampede where Abe jumps on the backs of horses and a big train sequence at the end are all compiled with obnoxious and overblown special effects when less might have been more. One of my favorite sequences in the film is when Abe and Will (Mackie) travel down to New Orleans (which of course is consistently ranked as the scariest city in the US) and we get one of the spookiest scenes in the whole movie.
The truly brilliant feature behind this entire film is how the story manages to stay consistent with history; it isn’t like Inglorious Bastards, where history is changed. The fun part of this is making the irrelevant details matter. For example, we know Abe and Mary’s son Willie died from a disease, but this film has it’s own version of what kind of disease. If you can let your mind accept this total fantastic reality and play on history, you will see how smart the writing is. It's too bad the director, who did that horrible action movie Wanted, isn’t as talented as the writer (can someone please show him how to do a real action sequence?). I think for those who know history better than others, this will be a sugar high and much more fun.
Final Thought – Surprisingly impressive.
Grade B
By: Dustin Chase W. rated R 105 minutes opens 6/22/12