Blade (1998)

"Big as it is, Blade is meticulous and subtle...  Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
"...an expert balancing act...   Mike DeWolfe, Apollo Leisure Guide

Editor's Note Based on the comic book of the same name, BLADE (Snipes) is a half-mortal, half-immortal bent on avenging his mother's death and destined to rid the earth of a race of vampires. Meanwhile, the modern-day technologically advanced vamps he's targeted are in pursuit of his special blood type needed to summon an evil god who plays a key role in their plan to execute the human race. A dark action thriller from the director of DEATH MACHINE and the writer of THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS and DARK CITY with plenty of blood and guts.

	Donal Logue
	Kris Kristofferson
	N'Bushe Wright
	Stephen Dorff
	Udo Kier
	Wesley Snipes
	Stephen Norrington - Director
	Theo Van de Sande - Director of Photography
	Paul Rubell - Editor
	Avi Arad - Executive Producer
	Lynn Harris - Executive Producer
	Joseph Calamari - Executive Producer
	Stan Lee - Executive Producer
	Mark Isham - Musical Score
	Andrew J. Horne - Producer
	Jon Engelman - Producer
	Peter Frankfurt - Producer
	Wesley Snipes - Producer
	David S. Goyer - Screenplay

"Tonight, the age of man comes to an end."----Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff)

Sight and Sound
"...BLADE's design team have constructed a consistent universe and taken it seriously....Told respectfully and well..." 11/01/1998 p.42-3

USA Today
"...Pulsing with a techno beat..." 09/25/1998 p.8E

New York Times
"...The battle scenes are pure comic-book derring-do replete with acrobatics borrowed from Hong Kong action thrillers and continual morphing..." 08/21/1998 p.E27

San Francisco Chronicle 0 of 10
...don't dismiss Blade as a typical thriller or as some kind of inflated style piece -- there's more than that going on. Big as it is, Blade is meticulous and subtle, not just in its camera technique but in the way it works its themes and creates a mood... I love the way director Stephen Norrington uses odd little one- and two-second shots. Sometimes he does it to convey information. For example, he suggests that a woman might be turning into a vampire by giving us a split-second, overexposed shot of the street as seen through her eyes. Are her eyes getting sensitive to bright light, by any chance?... As Blade, Snipes looks great. What an outfit: black leather coat, leather vest, black sunglasses, Grace Jones hairstyle. Like Jean-Claude Van Damme, this is one action hero who is not going to let a life-and-death struggle with the forces of evil get in the way of his weekly salon appointments. I admire that. - Mick LaSalle

Apollo Leisure Guide 0 of 10
This movie has all the energy and style of a music video. The action grabs you during the opening credits, and runs headlong through the movie, slowing only long enough to let you catch up. Of the many vampire films of late, this one stands out; the story is an expert balancing act of foundation-laying and flash-bang action. Snipes is entertaining as a "Rambo the Vampire Hunter.' The other performances are equally strong and believable. The story is smart and Stephen Norrington's direction is slick and effective. - Mike DeWolfe