SLEEPY HOLLOW
Sleepy Hollow is special effects make-up man Kevin Yagher's first
try as writer, and it shows. Though he had help from more experienced writer
Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven), and Irving's main theme is adequately
presented, the details of this particular adaptation often seem forced and
clumsy. There are various murder mystery-style puzzles for us to figure
out, but usually they are uninspired and/or laughably easy to decipher.
The tone seems to be in conflict between Burton's usual tongue-in-cheek
style and a straight horror/thriller; we don't know if we're supposed to
be scared or amused, so neither is true. As one would expect, the effects
involving the headless horseman are fun to watch, but much of the non-horseman
footage is tiresome. Johnny Depp, who has worked with Burton before in Ed
Wood and Edward Scizzorhands, is unable to convince us of any
of his character's main motivations, e.g., fear, determination, or affection
for his love interest (Christina Ricci). Frankly, he just looks tired. The
one character with some life, ironically, is the one who is dead. Christopher
Walken (whose only line is "Aaaaarrrrgh!") plays the horseman
during the few scenes when he has a head. Walken is fiery and energetic;
he's the only one in the film who is.
The year is 1799. Constable Ichabod Crane (Depp), a New York investigator
with a penchant for forensics, is chosen to investigate the small upstate
town of Sleepy Hollow, where three murders have occurred in two weeks. When
he arrives, the town looks just like one dreamed up by Tim Burton —
fog, graves, and eerie darkness. He soon meets the town's elders: banker
Baltus Van Tassel (Michael Gambon), magistrate Phillipse (Richard Griffiths),
Doc Lancaster (Ian McDiarmid), Reverend Steenwyck (Jeffrey Jones), and notary
Hardenbrook (Michael Gough). Tales of the Headless Horseman permeate the
town, and the skeptical Crane soon believes them, too — after having
a few close calls with the villain himself. So the issue becomes a matter
of discovering where the horseman comes from, and who (if anyone) is controlling
him. There is a mysterious air of conspiracy among the men, a young woman
(Ricci) who seems to be practicing witchcraft, and a sub-plot involving
the will of a recently deceased town leader.
Depp and Ricci seem to be in a game of one-upsmanship to see who can look more sleepy and uninspired. The town elders are reasonably convincing in their small roles, but the intricacies of the plot seem to drag the film down instead of make it interesting. There are numerous scenes of heads being lopped off, but none are really gory enough to be disturbing. The Burton trademark special effects are typically fun, but the late release and lackluster performances make Sleepy Hollow feel exactly like its title: sleepy and hollow. ***