La Femme Nikita Gets Fangs!
Friday, October 16th, 2009
Somebody left this ham (Don Rickles) out, and it went bad!
To put it bluntly, Innocent Blood is no American Werewolf in London. It tries to be, but the same level of quality just isn’t there. Both films were directed by John Landis, but, where humor and horror mixed well on Werewolf, they kind of go the oil and water route in Innocent Blood.
That’s not to say that the film isn’t worth watching. It is. But genre bending though it might try to be, it’s simply a comedy at heart with a few very sparse(and gross) scares. Anne Parillaud, the original La Femme Nikita, here plays a vampire of indeterminate age. She needs blood, but will only drink from people she considers to be evil. Good thing there’s a hefty mob element in town, led by Robert Loggia (Hee hee…just say his name a couple of times…Loggia, Loggia…Hee hee). Among the mafiosos, there’s an undercover cop played by Anthony Lapaglia, an Australian. Yeah, you read that right. Anthony LaPaglia, the imminent Italian actor, is an Aussie. I know, right! I had that same reaction(if you didn’t know already). Anways, Marie(Parillaud) makes a mistake with a snack one night, and it gets away. The mistake is mob boss Sal the Shark(Robert Loggia). Most of the film covers the process by which Sal becomes a vampire, and Marie’s efforts to kill him, to end her mistake. Anthony LaPaglia as Joe does a good job as skeptic, and reluctanct lover to Marie. I know, I know…any lover of Anne Parillaud should never be reluctant, but it’s in the script, so what are you going to do?
I know how it sounds, but I like this movie. It’s not as good as some of Landis’s other efforts, but it’s not bad either. The special effects are great, but this is a John Landis movie, so what were you expecting? I mean, you do get to hear Robert Loggia growl “AHHHHH!!! What the fuck!” the first time the sun hits him after his change. The humor works, but the horror aspect falls a little flat. But, if it makes you feel better, there are plenty of big shakin’ titties in this movie, so, hey, enjoy!
Maybe I’d like it better if it had a better title. “I Bit The Mob” or “Capo a Capula” or “Count Mafia”…y’know…something stupid like that! Then again, maybe it’s fine the way it is.
This one’s fun and fun to watch with company. I’d rent it, but, if you can’t, I’ve seen several copies in Wal-Mart 5$ bins the country over.
Ah…Wal Mart 5$ bin. You are the cheap movie collector’s dream. Thanks!
Posted on October 16th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I thought Innocent Blood was worth watching for the cast alone. Rickles was great!
Posted on October 16th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I was expecting Frank Oz, after he turned up in American Werewolf in London, but Sam Raimi was a complete surprise!
Posted on October 16th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
This is one I have not seen…but now I’m gonna. Thanks, Bryan : )