FILM REVIEW: ABRAHAM LINCOLN ~ VAMPIRE HUNTER

ABRAHAM LINCOLN - VAMPIRE HUNTER (15)

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Rufus Sewell, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Director: Timur Bemambetov

Running time: 105 minutes

Released 20th June (UK)  / 22nd June (US)

Released by:Twentieth Century Fox


"Apart from that Mr Lincoln, how was the theatre..?"

When little ankle-biter Abraham Lincoln saves his childhood friend Will from neck-biter and slave-owner Jack Barks, he sets in motion a series of events that will shape his own life and that of the nation. Abraham's family are turned out onto the street and Barks extracts a punishing revenge. Abraham, now played by Benjamin Walker  - looking like a youthful Liam Neeson ( a role he played in Kinsey) -  bides his time but when the moment comes to kill barks, our hero begins to realise the forces he's dealing with. Saved by the versatile Henry (Dominic Cooper),  his new friend teaches his charge how to hone his talents and then points him in the right direction of serving a greater purpose. It's not an agenda with wholly holy motives and some of them hardly come as a surprise. Henry warns him that being a Vampire Hunter is a lonely life, one that must be fuelled by truth rather than revenge and that anyone Lincoln might be tempted to love could become a liability or food for the vampires that have their own plans for this new nation.  But moving to a new town and taking up the law-books brings him into the social circle of Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who will also have a profound effect on his life as well... it will also bring him to the attentions of those with less honourable intentions...

"Timur Bekmambetov typically directs proceedings like some historical ballet-buffed Svengali on crack and takes the advice of his central character about the balance of creating a larger-than-life (undead?) legend rather than a mere story..." 

With its sense of utterly outrageous action - violent and blood-soaked, but as much tongue-in-cheek as axe-in-hand - Abraham Lincoln is a positive rhesus-negative romp of the first order. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted, Nightwatch) typically directs proceedings like some historical ballet-buffed Svengali on crack and takes the advice of his central character about the balance of creating a larger-than-life (undead?) legend rather than a mere story. Not for him the delicate melody, more the drum section accompanied by electric guitars. His version of history has a more entertaining and less-forgiving soundtrack.

Narratively, there are a few niggles. After establishing his childhood and youthful misadventures through to his courtship and marriage, we then take something of a big jump forward in years and find Lincoln ensconced  in the White House itself. This amounts to putting a beard on our hero that should be as iconic as the statue which sits afoot the monument in modern Washington, but for the most part... just looks like someone took the glue-pot out and missed with the toupe. Those around him age at varying rates, not always on purpose, either merely getting the chin-merkin treatment or a few grey hairs. For better or worse, it  simply feels like we've lost a good twenty-minutes of back-story.

Equally, its broad-strokes means some supporting character development gets lost in translation. The often under-used Alan Tudyk as Mary Todd's suitor seems to be set-up as a potential antagonist then disappears completely as do the bounty-hunters who are after the adult Will ( Anthony Mackie). Equally it's not always clear who knows about young Lincoln's night-terrors and when they find out, some going along all too easily before direct revelations are made.  Rufus Sewell simply gets to be the big-bad, no more no less, but it's a role he's perfected over the years and he's clearly having fun with the sneers and general intimidation speeches.

The director does like his wire-work and uses it at every single opportunity, throwing not just everything at the screen but also as much debris and collateral damage into the air as he can muster in one go. For most of the time the now obligatory signature of slow-motion chaos and the sheer number of  decapitated bodies distract nicely, but there are the odd moments when it feels just a tad self-indulgent. However Bekmambetov has an A-List effects budget at his disposal and is clearly going to use every dime, whether it all ultimately makes sense or not.

The 3D (now becoming obligatory for the summer tent-poles)  is used well in the action scenes but when combined with what appears to be the bleaching and tinting of colours in some scenes, it isn't always easy on the eyes around the screen's edges. See the film in 2D and you might miss a bit of the air-cutting three-dimensional knives and blood, but you will benefit from a brighter screen and enjoy the ride as much.

Interview with a Vampire meets Wanted, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is perfect for the hot, steamy nights (or, let's be brutally honest, damp British evenings)  where you wish to switch off the brain and over-indulge on the eye-candy. It's history written not just large but flamboyantly and mischievously - just like the Seth-Grahame Smith mash-up that inspired it (Smith also wrote the screenplay). Forget the deep questions about the human condition, this is the outing where things get bitey, blood goes splatty and vampires go 'splodey. Disbelief must be firmly suspended from on high throughout, but go into the cinema prepared to be entertained by the silly and the profane and this is a good a mainstream roller-coaster and guilty pleasure as you'll get this season. 


4/5