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List Price: $14.99 | | Label: Miramax
Salesrank: 32011
Released: March 13, 2001 |
| Our Price: $4.90 |
| Used Price: $3.94 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Jude Law (THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, EXISTENZ) brings a powerful presence to a dark, mysterious crime thriller in the tradition of THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and DOUBLE JEOPARDY. Steven (Law) is handsome, successful, charming ... and a lethal master of seduction! By the time the body of his latest conquest is found at sea, Steven has already moved on to his next victim. But as this moody, intelligent beauty (Elina Lowensohn) proves frustratingly elusive, it merely intensifies Steven's impassioned pursuit of a love he literally cannot live without! Stylish, suspenseful, and filled with terrific performances, you'll find this boldly unique thriller to be thoroughly entertaining!
Description of Immortality:
Jude Law makes the term emotional vampire literal in this somber, restrained tale of a modern-day bloodsucker in London. As the improbably named medical researcher Steven Grlscz (pronounced "grilsh"), he's a cool charmer who woos lonely women and feeds off them at the height of their emotional intensity. He begins his seduction of Elina Löwensohn (who played a vampire herself in Nadja) just as relentless police detective Timothy Spall starts an investigation of him for the murder of his former lover Kerry Fox. It's the start of an unusual battle of wits.
Equal parts AIDS metaphor, ancient myth with a modern twist, and shrewd mind game, Immortality (originally released as The Wisdom of Crocodiles) is an art-movie interpretation of the vampire myth, too chic and bloodless to be compelling but curiously fascinating in its way. Leong Po-chih directs with clockwork precision and emotional restraint, elegantly creating a handsome but impersonal world where Grlscz's painful need for love is an extreme symptom of modern life. Law plays his part as a fascinating paradox, hiding his feelings and schemes behind a mask of impenetrable ennui that periodically bursts in a gush of sorrow and disappears just as fast, while Löwensohn is almost as hard to read with her angular face and unusual accent. The meticulous detail and cool images make this more a dispassionate mind game than a horror movie, where the ideas never quite come to life but become a curious enigma. --Sean Axmaker
Immortality Reviews:
First this isn't a "triditional vampire"... 
2009-10-15 - I think that is what throws a lot off people off into disliking this film. That isn't why I give it only 2 stars though. While the cinematography is fine and the over all story could have been interesting the execution falls flat. The acting is mediocre and the male lead rather than someone they attempt to make you feel sympathy for just comes off a pathetic instead. It was pretty much a waste of time. I gave it two stars instead of one as there was at least some quality to the film as a whole.
A unique vampire tale 
2009-05-20 - Having enjoyed the recent coming-of-age vampire tale "Let the Right One In", I was on the hunt for other unique vampire tales, and came across this older movie starring Jude Law. I'm no great fan of the actor, but I thought he did a decent turn in this. "Immortality" [with the alternate title of "Wisdom of Crocodiles"] is an unusual vampire tale - Jude Law plays medical consultant Steven Grlscz[a unique and unpronounceable last name] who has a predilection for making young women fall madly in love with him. But this is no ordinary Casanova - Steven has a rare blood disorder in which he has to feed off another human's blood in order to survive and not let his body break down. Trouble is, getting plasma from the local blood bank isn't going to cut it - Steven needs to feed off the 'love' in the victim's blood.
So basically he's a serial killer with a rather unusual modus operandi - until he meets comely, feisty and intelligent structural engineer Anna Labels[Elina Lowensohn] whose sex appeal is matched by her intellectual brilliance. Both are drawn to each other intellectually and sexually, a meeting of hearts and minds if you will. This places Steve in a conundrum - what does he do to survive? Will Anna be another sacrificial victim?
The movie plays out very well - it unfolds leisurely but I never felt this was tedious or plodding. Besides the interaction between Steven and Anna, the other relationship that made this movie interesting was the dynamics between Steven and the police inspector Sgt. Healey [Timothy Spall] investigating him as a murder suspect in a young woman's death. Both Steven and Healey develop a father-son like relationship over the course of the movie and watching the evolution of their relationship is a highlight of this film.
The gore factor is surprisingly minimal in this movie, and even the brutal scenes are artfully done. It plays out beautifully, and the sets are well-done, especially Steven's apartment with its hidden room.
I'd recommend this to those who love a unique vampire tale with first-rate acting.
immensely enjoyable - a break from the usual vampire/horror fare 
2009-02-19 - This movie is very entertaining and thought provoking. I enjoyed it immensely.
This movie defies categorization. It's a horror movie but only in the smallest of ways. It's a suspense/drama/action movie without enough of any aspect to satisfy the fan of any of the 3 genres. Sometimes it seems like a chick flick version of a vampire movie but then again it's not.
So what is this movie? It's an exception to the normal run of the mill movie of any genre. It's a combination of all genres without too much of any. It's a movie in the classic style in the sense that plot, acting, dialogue and directing are paramount instead of CGI or constant action. The series of dialogues between the "vampire" and the police sergeant are captivating to those with a philosophical bent. Yet, these dialogues aren't over done so don't be scared away from the movie.
Best of all, the movie doesn't cop out. For some, this will provide an unsatisfactory ending to the movie. But for many, the ending will be quite satisfactory as the director/producer did not stoop to using one of the stereotypical cliche Hollywood endings. (I can't explain this further or better without giving away the ending.)
Whether you find it titled as "Immortality" or as "The Wisdom of Crocodiles", watch this movie!
Goofball horror flick ? 
2008-08-18 - Yeah, that's my question. Maybe it's because I've never liked Jude Law's acting; no, wait a minute, I (Heart) Huckabees! was a good one. This one stunk! End of Review. 0 help to no one.
An Unusual Horror Film 
2008-01-20 - Immortality or also known as "The Wisdom of Crocodiles" is an unusual approach to the old tale of a vampire who suffers from a chronic disorder:
Mortality and the thirst for blood. The main character played by Jude Law
provides an interesting character of both human and monster. And the story
it self provides enough entertaining value to keep the viewer interested in the story. All actors show their talents and make the story line believable. Although the pace of the plot appears to move a little on the slow side, it is at least worth 3 stars for the fan of horror and terror films.
