[REVIEW] Renfield
Dracula has been adapted for the screen on numerous occasions, and Count Dracula is one of the most famous film roles of all time. The character has been with audiences since the dawn of cinema and has been played by countless actors in different formats and styles over the years. In 2023’s Renfield, with Nicholas Hoult starring as the title character, Nicolas Cage gives his unique take on the iconic villain.
Renfield revels in being an outrageous, over the top, and fun ride that barrels along at full speed without stopping. It’s a tribute to the classic Universal Monster movies with a modern sense of action and humor. But at its core, it wants to be a wicked good time, and the film succeeds in that. Hoult is solid as the melancholy but likeable Renfield, Awkwafina is excellent as New Orleans cop Rebecca Quincy, and Nicolas Cage’s Dracula is a grand spectacle. This Dracula, much like the title of the 1995 Mel Brooks satire film, is truly dead and loving it. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this movie ever since I heard Cage was playing Dracula, and I was not disappointed in the result.
It makes sense that Cage is now playing one of the most iconic cinema villains of all time, as Cage has made his career playing antagonists, villains, and antiheros who are outrageous, whacky, over the top, colorful, and downright captivating to watch. Nor is it Cage's first time starring in a vampire movie, as his performance in the 1989 film Vampire's Kiss is the stuff of legend. Calling it over the top doesn't quite do it justice, as Cage goes all out in his performance as yuppie Peter Loew. But aside from that, could there be any better choice to play Dracula than someone who's already bought a pyramid to be buried in that's located in one of the most iconic American cemeteries? Or someone who used to own the New Orleans home of Delphine LaLaurie, one of the most infamous houses in America? Especially since just like Cage’s pyramid tomb or the LaLaurie house, Renfield takes place in New Orleans.
Renfield, much like Cage himself, has a willingness to be unique and just have fun. It knows what it wants to be, and that’s what helps it stand out amongst the numerous film and television adaptations of Dracula. But while there have been countless adaptations, there are three performances that audiences probably think of the most often: the original 1931 Dracula film starring Bela Lugosi, the Hammer Horror Dracula films starring Christopher Lee, and Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula starring Gary Oldman. Oldman, much like Cage, has a commanding presence on screen and is a towering figure as Count Dracula. But Oldman's intensity as Dracula is incredibly different. It’s more controlled, serious, and tragic, whereas Cage thrives conveying the fun Dracula would have spending an eternity as a vampire, the outrageous behavior that would follow, and the darkly funny situations it could cause.
In most franchises, there are debates over who fans like the most in a certain role, as individuals typically have a favorite James Bond actor, a Spiderman actor, a Batman actor, or even a favorite actor who portrays the Joker from Batman. And there is no reason that the cinematic portrayals of Dracula should be any different. Bela Lugosi first created the iconic character on screen, Christopher Lee brought Dracula to life in searing color, and Gary Oldman captured the creepiness with its tragic underpinning, but a modern Dracula movie should do something unique. Renfield does that by being funny, outrageous, and entertaining, but with a sincere bit of humanity and heart underneath the epic spectacle.