#1,480. Blade (1998)

Directed By: Stephen Norrington

Starring: Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff, Kris Kristofferson



Tag line: "Against an army of immortals, one warrior must draw first blood"

Trivia: Marv Wolfman, the original creator of the Blade character, unsuccessfully sued Marvel and New Line for $50 million after the release of this film






Vampires and action-packed fight scenes may, at first, seem like strange bedfellows, but over the past 20 years some of the better movies to feature these undead bloodsuckers have had their share of high-octane thrills. Flicks like 30 Days of Night, From Dusk Till Dawn, and Underworld have moments that will get your pulse racing, but to date, no vampire film has kicked as much ass as 1998’s Blade.

A half-human / half vampire hybrid, Blade (Wesley Snipes) has dedicated his life to hunting down and destroying every vampire on earth. Aided by his partner Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), Blade has managed to kill a number of bloodsuckers over the years, but is about to face the most difficult challenge of his life. It seems that Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff), himself a vampire, is bound and determined to summon an ancient Vampiric God, thus paving the way for his kind to take over the earth. After rescuing Dr. Karen Jenson (N'Bushe Wright), who’d been bitten by a vampire, Blade sets to work looking for a way to defeat Frost and, in the process, save mankind from a fate worse than death.

The opening sequence alone, in which our hero walks into a rave and starts slaughtering vampires by the dozen, makes Blade worth the price of admission. And along with the thrills, the movie features one hell of a performance by its leading man. As Blade, Snipes is the perennial badass, a loner who never lets his guard down and a warrior capable of taking out every vampire he encounters. Aside from his handiwork in the opening scene, Blade’s final showdown with Deacon Frost (complete with a swordfight and plenty of martial arts action) is one for the books.

Based on a popular Marvel comic series, Blade is more of an action movie than it is a horror flick (while they definitely get the adrenaline pumping, the film’s battle scenes are never frightening). But even if it does come up short in the scare department, Blade has more than its share of excitement, and is an incredibly fun movie to watch.