Neil's Jordan's ogle inside the tortured mind of a 200-year-old vampire (Brad Pitt) is an opulent affair, all billowing drapes, decadent boudoirs and glimmering chandeliers. Oscar-winning production design is matched by class-A acting, with a blonde Tom Cruise proving especially effective as daddy vamp Lestat, but the goth-drenched pomp and slavish attention to atmosphere slow the plot to a crawl.
DVD Extras:
Jordan's commentary is great, juggling anecdotes, tech details and sharp insight. In The Shadow Of The Vampire is a meaty doc, piecing together interviews with Cruise, Pitt, Jordan, Kirsten Dunst, Antonio Banderas and novelist Anne Rice. Ignore the Special Introduction and History Of The Vampire sections, though: the former is two minutes of piffle, the latter nothing more than a web address. Cheeky.
