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The Wisdom of Crocodiles (1998)

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54 comments in total

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16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
one of the best vampire movies ever, 12 October 2001

Author: Kelleys_Keeper (riffrafffan@aol.com) from Pa

I'm not one to be at a loss of words when it comes to movies, but I believe I have seen one of the best of all time. What do you do to a vampire movie to make it stand above the rest? Don't make it an obvious vampire movie that's what you do. Po-Chih Leong did an excellent job of directing a film which kept me, a vampire movie enthusiast glued to my seat.

He didn't use the typical dark gloomy setting per typical vamp movies, neither did he restrict hi vampire character to the typical stereotypes of common vampire movies. This vampire could be out in the sunlight, see his reflection, yaddayaddayadda. The only thing that holds to the truth is he must drink blood. He is caring, sensitive, and above even his thirst all he is searching for is love.

The plot of this movie was outstanding. The dialog made me think of having everyday conversations. Jude Law was an excellent pick for the main character. I give this movie a 10 based on it's originality and new look at vampires. It can be a bit slow at parts but over all an outstanding movie.

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?, 24 September 2004

Author: soffineer from Tulsa, Oklahoma

There is nothing about this film's jacket that impresses one with the thought provoking dialog that is inside. I am most impressed with this film as among the few that causes me to become introspective.

The discussion that Steven Grlscz (Jude Law) has with Healey about good and evil, is the essence of the film. "Evil isn't just malice, murder and rape and massacre. Before everything, the devil is the father of lies. The lies you tell, the truth you don't tell. Everything hidden is theft. Everything reserved from those we love is fraud. And there's always something, isn't there? What everyone wants is for evil people to be off insidiously committing evil deeds. Then they can be separate from ordinary men and women and destroyed. But the line that separates good and evil cuts through every human heart. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart."

Is Grlscz unknowingly speaking his own epitaph? Worthy viewing for those who think.

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A love story set in blood, 14 March 2001

Author: Mr. Moviegame from Cambridge, Massachusetts

Retitled as Immortality for US release, The Wisdom of the Crocodiles is another splendid film which not accorded widespread theatrical distribution when it reached America. First, it is not a vampire film in the vein of Bram Stoker's Dracula, or Interview with the Vampire. It is an iconoclastic love story, similar to the non-vampire film, Eye of the Beholder. Love cannot be explained, obsession cannot be understood, for both must be felt in the heart. This personal film (Immortality) is filled with ideas and themes, many of which are conveyed in allegories. Jude Law and Elina Löwensohn are eating take-out Chinese food. She begins telling him a Confucian tale about the difference between heaven and hell. There is ample food in both dominions. Yet, the only implements you are allowed to use are 5 foot chopsticks. Those in hell starve, those in heaven are well-fed. How is this so? The souls in heaven cooperate by feeding one another, while those in hell, being selfish, go hungry. Yes, love is about giving, and this is the dilemma of the film. Jude Law needs blood to continue his existence. Elina Löwensohn needs Jude because he (unlike most men) is her protector, intellectual equal, and (I know it sounds silly) soul mate.

The DVD release of this movie is fascinating. The special effects do not overwhelm you. For instance, there is no shape-shifting or gory feeding orgy. Yet the cinematography is unforgettable. There are twisted bone/spinal fragments that are about the size of 3-inch pretzel sticks. Possibly they have a reptilian ancestry. Jude has a box of these, collected from his earlier victims (all women?). Jude's coffin is not a coffin, but a circular metal chamber, with swivel doors. He straps himself with electrical medical devices to maintain his heartbeat and respiration. They even wake him from his sleep. His regular bed is covered in a silver cloth. On the mattress are blood stains from his previous victims. This is never shown. It is left to the viewer's imagination. The only way you know this exists is from Elina's reaction to Jude uncovering the bed. How horrifying this vision must have been to her. Another interesting aspect of this film is a scene Jude has with a little girl. She appears to be having her kidney stones disintegrated by an ultra-sound device. Thus Jude is most likely a gastroenterologist. Elina is a structural engineer. Two competent, intelligent, literate people in the 20th century. How shocking, given the abundant number of films about stupid people in typical Hollywood schlock. Miramax should be commended for importing this film to the US. Po-chih Leong (d) and Paul Hoffman (w) should be praised for bringing this wonderful story to the screen.

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10 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Slow, but engaging and strong dialogue, 6 June 2001

Author: Grismar from Overveen, Netherlands

As a vampire-movie enthusiast I had some high hopes for this picture. Jude Law usually makes for pleasant watching and Elina Lowensohn matches perfectly. That's the first good thing about the movie that really stood out to me: the casting is perfect. Not stereotypical, but very believable and right on target.

The movie is a bit slow and doesn't offer a lot in the way of a horror-movie as most viewers might expect it to, but it tells an engaging story. The plot isn't overly original, but when you look at some of the details, it's obviously well thought out. I loved most of the dialogue: witty, to the point and original. No fake grandeur or excessive posing (like many vampire movies do have), subtle jokes and no giveaways by the characters.

The movie is a good one overall, but even on its strong points, it sometimes misses genius and excellence, so only a 7 for this one.

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Love Bites, 2 August 2000
Author: Polyester Bribe (chokingsun@aol.com)

For a vampire movie set in modern-day England, "The Wisdom of Crocodiles" is peculiarly bloodless. But then, vampire hunger is more a metaphor than a cue for screaming, and sucking in this chilly love story, a philosophical thriller that's no less intriguing for being murkily theological and ceaselessly artsy.

"The line that separates good and evil cuts through every human heart," Steven murmurs to Anna. And that's just one of the many quotable Steven spouts to explain his dilemma: He needs nourishment from a woman's love - but he is doomed to destroy love in the process.

Steven also sustains a Russian-lit-like relationship with a detective on his trail, a man who takes his Catholicism as portentously as Steven takes his existential crisis. Through all the agony and ecstasy, Chinese-born, English-educated film-maker Po Chih Leong, working from an epigrammatic script, sustains a luxury-loving interest in the play of light on texture: Fountain pens have rarely looked more sensuous, nor vampires more like aesthetes who are never too blood-starved to appreciate fine craftsmanship.

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11 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Brilliant, 20 June 2000

Author: Certhas (c.i.m@gmx.net) from Germany

Indeed, this is a brilliant movie. This is a brave movie. A movie with a beautifully constructed narrative which doesn't seem constructed at all, with fascinating actors great acting and depth everywhere.

The most unusual Vampire film I've seen to date and certainly the best one.

Blood is the color of love.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Wisdom of Passion, 25 March 2004

Author: (potpurry7) from U.S.

I thought this film was quite good and more genuine in its story, for it questions the wisdom of passion.Jude Law is incredibly vulnerable , yet fiercely determined ,in his portrayal of a lovestruck, obsessed vampire.The object of his desire is a very sassy lady who brings elements to the film that are unpredictable.Some of Law's scenes are gross, but therein lies a victim in him.It carries a lot of tension , for I did not know where the plot was going-I like that.I try to guess the outcome of movies as I watch them. A lot of movies are just too predictable; this one is not.If you like a different kind of vampire film, with a lot of emotion and some sexy love scenes, this is a movie you'll love.If you are a fan of Jude, by all means see it.He uses his eyes in incredibly intense and versatile ways. He is charming and kind to people.He's also not afraid of looking absolutely horrible.He's more than a pretty face, much more. I would compare this more to "Basic Instinct" and "Fatal Attraction" than any of the Dracula films. But be warned: although this is not your typical vampire film, there is a lot of bloodshed.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Fascinating Thriller, 20 March 2001

Author: Chris-332 from Hawthorn Woods, IL

The Wisdom of Crocodiles (or the inferior video-box title "Immortality") is a very interesting and different kind of vampire movie. During the first fifteen minutes of the movie, I was very skeptical about it (especially during the first killing, which I thought would lead into another blood-and-guts vampire movie), but I decided to ride it out and give it a chance. I'm glad I did, because this was quite a moving and fascinating drama/suspense film with some excellent acting (Jude Law is undoubtedly going to rise up to become an amazing movie star) and awesome cinematography. The plot follows the tragic story of a vampire who feeds on the love of women, but he finds a girl that he truly falls in love with, and he is faced with the choice of dying to let her live, or kill her so he can live his sad life longer. The thing that surprised me with this movie was that it was a complete drama/romance with suspense and thriller elements in it, but in NO way is it a horror or vampire movie. This delighted me, because I am getting very tired of the formulaic vampire flicks (Dracula 2000, John Carpenter's Vampires). This movie, as well as the phenomenal Shadow of the Vampire, is one of the most intelligent, suspenseful, and and genuinely interesting vampire movies in a long, LONG time.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A dark and brooding thriller, 19 December 2004

Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England

The Wisdom of Crocodiles is one of a new breed of vampire movies. Probably started by Abel Ferrera's "The Addiction", vampirism has turned into a sort of curse that turns it's afflicted into brooding philosophers. Gone are the vampire bats, wooden stakes and crucifixes that once were the staples of the genre, and the vampire genre has been changed into a commentary on disease. However, I'm all for innovation, even if it's not always advisable innovation, and The Wisdom of Crocodiles is one of the better 'new wave' vampire films. It actually seems to be taking more influence from George Romero's excellent 'Martin' than 'The Addiction' anyway. The Wisdom of Crocodiles (great name, by the way) stars Jude Law, in a tight performance, as a man afflicted with some sort of curse that forces him to suck the blood of women while in the act of lovemaking. To say any more than that would mean spoiling it, so I'll leave it there.

The Wisdom of Crocodiles has gained itself something of a cult following, and the channel I saw it on even introduced it as a 'cult classic'. I think this is an incorrect description of the film, as although it's not bad and certainly has it's moments; it hardly has the same qualities as true cult masterpieces, such as the aforementioned 'Martin'. The film benefits from a brooding atmosphere that is created by a brooding musical score that plays through almost the entire running time. This never gets annoying however, as the music is good and almost always adds to the images seen on screen. The film is slowly plotted, which might annoy some people and it's littered with philosophical ideas that Jude Law utters for a lot of the running time. This will probably irritate people that tuned in expecting a vampire movie, especially as there's little bloodletting, but some of the ideas put forward are fairly interesting, and keep the film alive.

This film shouldn't really be in with the classic vampire films at all, as it's a completely different animal (I suppose they couldn't really put it in with 'brooding cursed people', though). Vampire fans should take note of this, but even without the classic vampire thrills; there is much to like about this British chiller.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
Hypnotic, 12 March 2005

Author: pyle0102 from Kentucky, United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This is a film that is beautifully haunting, and requires much thought from the viewer. Narrated by poetry infused with pain from Steven Grlscz (in a spellbinding performance by the great Jude Law), who captivates from the very beginning by describing his agony to his audience. Steven is a metaphorical "vampire" (for lack of a better term), he physically must have the love from the blood of those he seduces to survive. The love creates a manifestation in the blood that he must have to live, without it his body will shut own. Steven's body forms physical manifestations of the different emotions he feels after each killing, further enrichment to an already brilliant script. Emotions taking a

Steven's pattern is broken when he meets a woman who he actually loves (a very memorable and lovable Elina Lowensohn),and he cannot bring himself to immediately harm her. This is a film that is not to be missed, as it is full of superb performances and an exceptional story.

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