RENFIELD

A series of unfortunate events leads to a chance meeting with Rebecca (Awkwafina, 'The Farewell', 'Crazy Rich Asians'), a cop who just wants to clean up the city, facing an uphill battle against crooked officers and the Lobo mob family. Together, Renfield and Rebecca will try to inspire each other to be better, to do better, and maybe even save the city while they're at it.

If this is all sounding very on the nose and familiar, that's because it is - until it isn't. 'Renfield' is full of typical motifs. There's the freeze frame on Renfield's face to explain "how did we get here?", the cop who lives in her father's shadow and is constantly reminded "your father was the best" and so on. But there is a self-awareness and fun brought to these ideas that prevents them from feeling stale, even though not quite fresh.

What does feel innovative and creative is the bloody, dynamic, comical and bloody violence. Yes I said bloody twice - it's really very bloody. This is not realistic blood, this is Tarantino blood-squirting-all-over-the-room-after-arms-being-pulled-off kind of blood which, dare I say, is really fun. All the action sequences are really enjoyable and I found myself leaning into everything that was going on. It was easy to follow, well crafted, and overall the highlight and selling point of the film.

As bombastic as the action is, the rest of the film doesn't quite meet its level of pop, and this for me is probably where 'Renfield' loses its way a little bit. The film comes alive when the violence breaks out, and while the rest of the film is fun, it just doesn't match the level of entertainment. There is a deleted scene that Hoult released on his socials of an entire dance sequence - and it's phenomenal. It's just the sort of thing that this film needed to maintain the dynamism and pop art feel, and it's a real shame it wasn't kept in the final cut. I found myself wanting in-between the action sequences despite wishing I wasn’t, simply due to the fact that the rest of the film felt a tad vanilla in comparison.

While his role is very much supportive, Cage is brilliant as the Count, mastering the switch between terror and comedy like nobody else. He embodies the Christopher Lee-type vampire, but wonderfully throws in gestures and mannerisms that complement Hoult nicely and bring the edge of comedy when needed. Hoult as the pillar of the film is equally great, manipulating his posture and voice in a way that allows him to shift between servant and hero seamlessly. Ben Schwartz ('Sonic the Hedgehog') goes full Jean Ralphio (his character from TV's 'Parks and Recreation') as a member of the Lobo family so while we've seen his shtick before, it's no less entertaining.

Of all the iterations of Dracula, I really admire McKay's approach to this one. Audiences know Dracula and are used to him being the centre of the story, but 'Renfield' feels very much like a more human angle, and asks the questions of what the effect of Dracula has on those around him, and less about what he is himself.

I had a really good time with this film and while lacking in a lot of parts and perhaps even feeling shortchanged on what was promised, there's no denying that McKay's version of this classic character is fun to be around. Wonderfully gory and funny, and aided by an unhinged Cage having the best time onscreen, 'Renfield' may not sit amongst cinema's best Draculas, but it will at least challenge the approach and have a good time doing it.