Review of Vampire's Kiss (1989) by Camden N — 18 Sep 2010

Nicolas Cage playing a man losing his grip on reality (i.e. himself)? How could I possibly resist?

Vampire's Kiss gets a lot of flack from most viewers, mostly due to the fact that it stars Nicolas Cage. Cage has made quite a few bad movies recently, and despite the two great ones that just came out (Bad Lieutenant and Kick-Ass, both featuring fine performances from him), people just can't seem to give him any credit. As a result people assume that this film, like The Wicker Man, is unintentionally funny. In some ways it is easy to see the confusion. This is far from your Yakety Sax variety of comedy, even with Cage giving one of his most hilarious performances. The pace is slow, the material is very dark, and the soundtrack doesn't provide any hand holding for the audience (as a matter of fact, it could easily fit any serious horror film). Perhaps it's the fact that so much of the comedy is centered on Cage's character (and thus his performance) that makes this hard to accept for many viewers. Some subtle touches also clue in the viewer to the filmmakers' intentions. For instance, early on in the film we notice a framed picture of Kafka in Peter Loew's office. Is there any writer more famous for writing the sort of nightmarish, surreal comedies that this film embodies? And how about Peter's hilariously pretentious accent? I would provide more examples, but for a movie this insane it would seem like a crime to spoil it for first time viewers.

So the biggest question on your mind is probably this: how is Cage's performance? Appropriately insane. As always Cage throws himself into the role as if he only had one chance at acting and he wanted it to count. Unlike some of his more mainstream efforts, this really gives him a chance to experiment. The interesting thing here is that beneath the comedic exterior there is a slightly disturbing presence. After all, don't we tend to laugh at some of the ridiculous things that mentally ill people say and do? Yet after a while we grow very uncomfortable, knowing they might erupt into violence at any moment. I think Cage captures this unpredictability very well. Watching it again, and especially in light of the things his character does later in the movie, Cage's performance seems much darker.

As enjoyable as Cage's performance is, there's no denying the film itself is a little too slow paced for its own good. I'm not sure what I'd cut, to be honest, but I feel as though it could somehow be tighter. There is also the fact that many of the bit parts tend to be awfully acted, though the more significant supporting actors are all fine. For the most part this is worth watching for Minion's writing and Cage's acting - one of the most delightfully insane pairings that cinema has produced.