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Sleepy HollowRating:
Release Date: 13 May, 2003 Retail Price: $12.99 OUR Price: $9.74 You SAVE: $3.25! Cast: Complete Cast (15 total) |
Sleepy Hollow Reviews
A Movie That Is Sort Of "Sleepy" And "Hollow"
I am not a particular fan of Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and most modern American movies. I would never have rented "Sleepy Hollow" if I were not a big fan of British horror film actor Christopher Lee. "Sleepy Hollow" is a forgettable yet reasonably entertaining thriller.
In 1799, Constable Ichabod Crane(Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of murders and bring the killer to justice. While searching for the murderer, Crane encounters witchcraft and a headless horseman.
"Sleepy Hollow" is not much more than a passable time killer. The film has a number of suspenseful moments. The twist-ending is interesting yet fails to fully satisfy viewers; M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" and Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man" had much more effective surprise-endings. The performances are mostly wooden. Christopher Lee's appearance as a judge only lasts for about a minute. Christopher Walken perhaps gives the best performance in the entire film. His savage portrayal of a Hessian mercenary is proof that acting is far more than merely reciting lines. Walken has virtually no dialogue and has only several minutes of screen time but he exudes an absolutely terrifying presence.
"Sleepy Hollow" is only for fans of both Tim Burton and Johnny Depp and those who feel that they need to see all the films of Christopher Lee and Christopher Walken.
Extraordinary ambience.
For those of us who have never read Washington Irving's short story, Tim Burton's 'Sleepy Hollow' proved to be an enjoyable substitute. Burton's love of British Hammer horror movies and a cast full of British character actors meant that the humour in the film gave you the feeling you were watching a 'Carry On' movie from the 1960's. A humour that perhaps wasn't so successful as many of the American actors ie. Depp and Ricci seemed a bit aloof and wooden. Although it has to be said that Christina Ricci was chosen by Burton because she reminded him of a silent movie star.
The set designs on this film are pretty amazing and it's difficult to believe that 90% of the film was shot in the studio, even the west woods. Set buliding is not often seen in movies anymore. Production companies think it's too expensive and shooting, as is, on location gives a greater sense of naturalism. Kudos then to Tim Burton in creating an authentic representation of turn of the 19th century upstate New York, filled with his own idiosyncratic designs such as Depp's David Cronenberg-like operating equipement.
Other Burtonian themes also occur. Casper Van Dien plays the bully that gets his comeuppance as did Anthony Michael Hall in 'Edward Scissoehands' and Jack Black in 'Mars Attacks. Also interesting to note executive producer Francis Ford Coppola who also had a credit in 'Bram Stoker's Dracula' and 'Mary Shelly's Frankenstein' and seems to be something of a literary gothic fan.
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