Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

There are films that are biopics, and then there are films that are biopics with a slant of fiction intertwined within the facts. Who would ever attempt to produce this but the twisted artist, Tim Burton? I truly cannot think of very many, if any films that has a story structured like this, but "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" does and succeeds in spades.

This story explores the secret life of America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker), and the untold story that shaped a nation. The president discovers, through one, Henry Sturges (Dominic Cooper) who Lincoln happens to meet, that blood-thirsty vampires are planning to take over the United States. Lincoln makes it his mission to eliminate them through Sturges' training, and become history's greatest hunter of the undead.
It starts off with the biblical passage Genesis 17:15 (Then God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.). It then goes to Abraham's beginnings in 1818 as a small boy and witnessing the murder of his mother, Nancy (Robin McLeavy) by an intruder and the subsequent death of his father, Thomas (Joseph Mawle) nine years later. Finally later, he decides to move to Springfield, Illinois in 1837 and lands a job at a store from shopkeeper, Joshua Speed (Jimmi Simpson), and then his subsequent meeting of Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Lincoln meets her after he meets Sturges whereas Sturges tells him that your life will be lonely being a vampire hunter. Eventually Abraham confronts his mother's killer, vampire Jack Barts (Marton Csokas) who works for the head vampire, Adam (Rufus Sewell).
Eventually, through the assistance from Speed, Sturges, and friend Will Johnson (Anthony Mackie), their intent on ridding the country of these disgusting vampires is lethal.


Others to round out the cast are Erin Wasson as Vadoma, John Rothman as Jefferson Davis, Cameron M. Brown as Willie Lincoln, Frank Brennan as Senator Jeb Nolan, Lux Haney-Jardine as young Abraham Lincoln, and Curtis Harris as young Will.


This was quirkily well written by Seth Grahame-Smith based on his novel. The way he was able to interconnect real characters and situations with an obvious fictitious premise and forced you to believe in it, all the while realizing that vampires don't exist, was pure genius.
This was equally well paced by director, Timur Bekmambetov ("The Arena" '01, "Night Watch" '04, "Day Watch" '06, "Wanted" '08, "Six Degrees of Celebration" '10). His slow-motion he uses in the fighting scenes, reminiscent of "Wanted", was so cleverly done. And to execute this process, he couldn't have chosen a better cinematographer then that of Caleb Deschanel ("The Black Stallion" '79, "Being There" '79, "The Right Stuff" '85, "Anna and the King" '99, "The Patriot" 2000, "The Passion of the Christ" '04, "Killshot" '08), and many more. This guy is a veteran, a seasoned pro.

You have got to see this! It simply rocks! It's a great way to relive history, but with a darker twist to it, and all in 3D for the summer.

Out of 4 stars: 4                      Rated: R                         105min.