Renfield

The premise of Renfield is pretty straightforward.  Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield has the suckiest boss ever, literally, in Nicolas Cage’s Dracula, and wants to break the cycle of co-dependence between them.  Sounds like a good time so I ventured forth and checked it out.

With a runtime of a mere hour thirty-three minutes, Renfield is the rare movie that feels longer than it is but that’s actually a good thing.  It neither feels too long nor does it feel rushed so you’re missing out overall.  

I say overall in that I definitely left the theater wanting more of Cage’s over-the-top, campy, Bela Lugosi-esque performance.  Cage leans in hard and the result is deliciously ridiculous and purely delightful to behold. Nicolas Cage is dead and loving it and so was I. 

Not to be out done, Hoult’s hangdog Renfield is the perfect foil in this wacky, ultra-violent gorefest. You can't help relating to what the poor guy is going through and feel for him every step of the way. The chemistry between the two makes the entire film.

Sadly, a little less engrossing is the buddy cop dynamic with Awkwafina’s Rebecca.  Awkwafina gives it her all, but her character drags down the film and dampens the joy of the film.  The self-righteous angry cop on a mission doesn’t quite gel with the rest of the film. There are some nice moments, but truth be told the film suffers from the character’s presence. The tonal disconnect is too much and the sub-plot doesn’t get explored enough to really make you care.

Great, frenetic action sequences.  Fantastic makeup and effects.  Good music and direction.  And gore.  Lots and lots of gore.  Think Tarantino rivers of blood, guts, and sinew. Be warned.  Not as humorous as I hoped, but Renfield does deliver the funny, especially during the therapy group sessions.

While I wish the sub-plots and characters were better integrated into the film and packed more of a punch overall, there’s still plenty to enjoy in Renfield and it was certainly worth the trip to the movies.  The two Nicks are perfectly cast and their performances/dynamic more than makes up for any of the film’s shortcomings.  If you do check this one out, do stay and watch the credits.  No, there’s no bonus scene(s) per se, but there is bonus footage the credits roll over that’s fun to watch.

Renfield gets a 7 from me.

#Renfield