The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Po-Chih Leong

Writer:

Paul Hoffman (writer)

Release Date:

1 May 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Handsome. Seductive. Deadly.

Plot:

Vampire in London is searching for the ideal woman to 'redempt' him.

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Male Nudity | Spiral Staircase | Police | Sacrifice

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jude Law	...	Steven Grlscz
Elina Löwensohn	...	Anne Labels
Timothy Spall	...	Inspector Healey
Jack Davenport	...	Sergeant Roche
Colin Salmon	...	Martin
Hitler Wong	...	Noodles Chan
Kerry Fox	...	Maria Vaughan
Stuart Bowman	...	Car Crash Mechanic
C.J. December	...	Car Crash Mechanic
Anastasia Hille	...	Karen
Nicholas Lamont	...	Toll Bridge Attendant (as Nick Lamont)
Joseph O'Conor	...	Mr. Nancarrow
Ashley Artus	...	Gang Leader
Tom Wu	...	Gang Member
Hon Ping Tang	...	Gang Member

Also Known As:

Immortality (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for some strong violence and gore, language, and sexuality.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | France:-12 | Singapore:R(A) | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Kew Bridge Steam Museum, Green Dragon Lane, Brentford, Middlesex, England, UK

Company:

Arts Council of England

Trivia:

The love poem quoted throughout movie is a love song taken from the bible - "The song of Solomon".

Goofs:

Continuity: When Steven is standing in the police lineup he has a bruise on the corner of his mouth. During his interrogation in the next scene, the bruise is gone.

Quotes:

Steven Grlscz: [to Anna] Who is this that comes like a pillar of the smoke out of the wilderness? Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense. The joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of a cunning craftsman. You read.
Anna Labels: Thy lips are like scarlet and thy mouth is comely. The smell of thy breath like apples.
Steven Grlscz: And thy breasts two clusters of grapes. Thou, all fair, my love, there is no flaw in you.

A Reptilian Vampire Story

The film is named 'Immortality' in the DVD version I saw, and the alternative title is not listed in IMDb, which almost made it the first movie I would miss when doing a search in IMDb!

Not that I have too much to say about this film. It is certainly not an enjoyable experience. The script is bad, with literary ambitions that are never fulfilled by real emotions. The atmosphere (kind of London outside, definitely Beverly Hills interiors) brings nothing new to the genre. The plot is slow, trailing, and the end is what can be defined a real anti-climax. There is some good acting, though - Jude Law in one of his pre-A.I. movies gives me reason to believe that with some luck he will fall upon a great script, and a good director and make his Oscar day. It is not enough to save an un-pleasant and un-satisfying cinema experience.

Unless you are a fan of vampire movies, you have no reason to pick it from the shelves.