Rewatched a few days ago on my return flight from Cannes, and I sorta forgot how casually unlikable Denzel is in this (in a good way). Reviews at the time accused the movie of liking its protagonist too much but you’d have to be kind of an idiot to think “American Gangster” likes this guy. It merely has a complex view of him as a protector, investor, manipulator, and murderer.
“Nosferatu” has big ‘gowns, beautiful gowns’ energy. I’m a total fan of how Eggers can compose a scene and an environment. But his films are so devoid of emotion, possessing a mood that can feel caught in the middle. Dafoe certainly knows how silly the material is. But does everyone else? I’m not sure and it’s why the film plays like an over abundance of style choking away a pulse (no pun intended). This absolutely needed to be gnarlier. In short, I was immediately bored.
