Review of Vampire's Kiss (1989) by Mã©Lissa A — 19 Feb 2013

The script isn't really there- some elements of it just darn right annoy me and that's because much of this film is as good as cinema gets- it's a pity that other aspects bring this one down.

You've got to be a Cage fan for this one- it's the Cage show really and, for me, it's the greatest show on earth (I'M SO CHEESY). I love Nicolas Cage in this and I mean in the true sense of the word- butterflies in the stomach and everything, it's a tremendously funny performance but has the maddening edge that it needs to fit the dark subtext. If this film was all just Nicolas Cage, I'd give it 100% - it's everything else that brings this one down.

It's sloppy in it's development, flawed in it's aims and it's edging on terrible work at times. Without Nicolas Cage this would simply be a bad movie- there's glimpses of what it's trying to do, and it would have been great had they pulled it off- many elements reflect the film adaptation of American Psycho but, unlike the latter, this one didn't get it right.

Thank God then for Nicolas Cage who is a one=man steam train here who gives a genuinely unbelievable performance (it seriously takes time for your mind to adjust to the fact that someone's actually doing what he is doing). The outcome is ridiculously funny, as funny as anything you could ever see. A tour de france in physical comedy. Cage isn't taking the mickey here though- he's fully dedicated and it shows. To people criticising his performance- guess what, someone who thinks they are a vampire? they are gonna be pretty funny to watch!

It is dark too though, Cage really is insane in this one- it's not chilling or any kind of real horror but Cage lunging towards you screaming "it's too late! it's too late!" is truly the making of nightmares. it's a crazy movie about a crazy guy, clearly played by a crazy guy. I wish some of it was just better written and that everything hadn't been left on Cage's, clearly awesome, shoulders.