Neil Doyle Not a run of the mill vampire movie by any means, although JUDE LAW plays his usual deeply disturbed character, a doctor who stalks women he sees as suitable to seduce. Sure of himself, he decides to play a cat and mouse game with detectives investigating the case.Law uses his hypnotizing gaze with good effect. His latest conquest is an industrial engineer who says, "I like a man with a bit of mystery about him." She immediately becomes an item on his list of future victims. He wins her over completely when he saves her from a vicious attack by thugs. There's an air of unpredictability lurking over every scene.The last half-hour has the woman scrutinizing him--wondering what's inside his mind. You have to wonder where their relationship is going. Will she still be his next victim? The detective is having an equally hard time trying to figure him out."The line that separates good from evil cuts through every human heart," he tells the detective.To say the least, he's an ambiguous character, this vampire, and Jude Law plays him with conviction. Timothy Spall as the dogged detective is good, as is Elina Lowensohn as the puzzled romantic interest.The finale drags a bit before it goes for the climax. A bit too sluggish throughout but still manages to hold the interest.

malkane316 A moving, beautifully told, and original vampire movie, and one which has since vanished into the unknown. Jude Law, probably in his best performance is a modern day vampire. Naturally, this being a modern movie which tries to be original, Law's character has few of the vampire traits we would recognise; he can live in daylight, crucifixes etc hold no power over him, he cannot transform into other animals, and does not have fangs. However, he is semi-immortal, and must drink human blood to survive. Indeed it is this which lies behind the story, and it is a tragedy rather than a horror. With great acting, beautiful and subtle camera-work, a touching story and a good soundtrack, The Wisdom of Crocodiles bears all the markings of a good movie. It is; unfortunately it is little known, and of course has flaws which probably stopped it from becoming an instant hit.Law is Stephen, an attractive, clever, charming young man who happens to be a vampire. In his quest for the 'perfect' woman who can save him from his torturous life, a strong woman with the ability to love him, literally changing her blood. All the women he has found in the past have been scared of him, so he has killed them. When he does this, he takes a fang like object from them. In his desperate search for love he finds Anna, (Lowensohn) a beautiful young woman and they begin to fall for each other. She is enchanted by him, but sher is also cautious, and when he saves her from a gang of muggers she becomes scared. The truth soon comes out in parts, and all the time the police are interested in Stephen's involvement in the death of his ex-girlfriend. The story builds to a suitable emotional climax, and never at any point can we predict what will happen.The film failed at the box-office because it is very downbeat, and only features one big name star. The director is also little known, but he shows an immense talent here, and gets the best from the cast. Hoffman's script has some of the best dialogue in years, but is also clever and full of metaphor and depth. It is definitely a film crying out to be rewatched as you will find something new with each viewing. The film is filled with imagery to suit the script, and Law's charismatic performance could not have been bettered. Lowensohn is also very good, her intensity growing as she finds out more about Stephen. Of course, as a vampire movie people will expect blood and scares. Here there is little blood shed and few scenes of violence, though all are handled perfectly, and of course it is not that kind of film. Hopefully a DVD release in the UK will be forthcoming. The cop storyline adds another depth, but for some the proceedings will be too slow. The film has its own pace, and rarely gets out of first gear, but this is the way it should be. An underrated film, but as Jude Law's stardom rises hopefully he will not forget this, and his fans will discover it.8 out of 10

qljsystems At its heart, The Wisdom of Crocodiles alludes to being cross between a story about someone in mental torment and a modern-day vampire movie. The Jude Law character - the story's villain - comes across as a convincingly menacing and cunning master of his own destiny and of other peoples' destinies too. However, the main driving impetus in his life is either haemophilia, apnea or asthma - a medical problem that the movie fails to clarify.Jude Law is a man driven to consume other people's "emotions" by gorging himself on their blood in a gruesome Dracula-like fashion and the question nags as to when the killer will strike again. When he meets an attractive foreigner who engages in a fateful relationship with him, we expect the inevitable. Jude struggles with the reality of who he is and the genuine affection he feels for his latest victim until he resolves to act out his bloodthirsty course.In the final act, we see him weave an elaborate web to deceive the victim to her death by appealing to her sympathy. It is a part of the movie where the villain becomes truly vampiric in behaviour and motive.The movie has several flaws, which can't be covered by the excellence of the acting. First is the cryptic title, which confuses rather than informs. Secondly, a tangle of unclear plot-threads knot into perplexing scenes throughout the movie.It's as if the producer can't decide whether to make this a vampire movie, a romance, a thriller, a detective story or a story about someone in mental anguish. I get the feeling that if Leong had chosen one throughline and played to its strengths he might've produced a strong movie. Instead its a story that never makes up its mind what its main thread is and so leaves an unsatisfying series of questions.The result is that, in the confusion, Leong never gets the chance to tell us anything about the villain's condition or even why he's got it, and we never learn the reasons that motivate Law in his choice of victims.Not the best movie I've seen, though not the worst either. Jude Law lives up to his reputation by pulling off a convincing portrayal of a very disturbed man. Timothy Spall provides a strong supporting role as the dogged detective.

soffineer 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.