Renfield, Dracula’s henchman and inmate at the lunatic asylum for decades, longs for a life away from the Count, his various demands, and all of the bloodshed that comes with them.
Nicolas Cage’s career has been filled with ups and downs, and over the past ten years or so, sadly, it’s been littered with atrocious direct-to-video titles such as “Left Behind,” “Pay the Ghost,” “Grand Isle,” and one of the worst movies ever made, “Between Worlds.” But now and again, the old Nicolas Cage will resurface and make a terrific film like “Joe,” “Mandy,” “Color Out of Space,” and “Pig.” Last year, he teamed up with man-of-the-moment Pedro Pascal for the action-adventure “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” in which he played an exaggerated version of himself. Now we have “Renfield,” where he portrays the one and only Prince of Darkness, Dracula. I don’t know how long this Cage Renaissance will last, but enjoy it while it does because he may very well return to his schlocky direct-to-video titles, and who knows how long it will be before we see the old Nicolas Cage on the big screen again.
In “Renfield,” Cage plays Dracula, while Nicholas Hoult plays the titular character. In Bram Stoker’s book, Renfield was a deranged, mentally unstable but devoted servant and familiar who helped Dracula with many of his nefarious schemes, including feeding. In return, Dracula fed him a continuous supply of insects to consume and the promise of immortality. In the movie, the insects that Renfield eats give him superhuman speed, brute strength, and a psychic connection to Dracula.
Having been exposed to sunlight during a battle against vampire hunters, Dracula needs rest and sustenance to recover fully, so Renfield moves him into an abandoned hospital in modern-day New Orleans. Renfield joins a Codependency Support Group hoping to take a stance against Dracula as he wants to live his own life and cannot achieve this goal while constantly serving him. While there, he meets and falls in love with Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), a traffic cop, who is hellbent on taking down the Lobo Family, one of the city’s most ruthless crime families responsible for killing her father. With the encouragement and guidance from Rebecca and his friends in the support group, he finally takes control of his life and prevails against Dracula, but things don’t go according to plan. When Rebecca realizes that the entire police force is corrupt and owes allegiance to the Lobo Family, Renfield offers his services, but Dracula learns of Renfield’s betrayal and teams up with the Lobos with the intent of taking over the city. Now Renfield and Rebecca must formulate a plan before the Prince of Darkness turns the entire city into bloodsucking vampires.
While the character of Renfield has always played second fiddle to Dracula in literature and film, here, he is thrust into the spotlight, and deservedly so. Cage perfectly hams it up as Dracula, but Hoult shines in a role that shows him go from a submissive, obedient servant to an ass-kicking vampire killer, and his transition is totally earned. Cage and Hoult play wonderfully off each other, and I would love to see them team up again, maybe in a horror or action film. While Hoult has appeared in numerous films over the years, many of them have been supporting roles in ensemble pieces; the “X-Men” films, “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” movies that never allowed him to truly shine, but here, he is given leading action man status and utilizes it perfectly. He shares undeniable onscreen chemistry with Awkwafina, and I could see a sequel in the future, teaming both characters up as they take on the city’s bad guys, both living and dead.
Chris McKay, who directed “The Lego Batman Movie” and “The Tomorrow War,” keeps everything in check, knowing when to let Cage thoroughly chew up the scenery and tone it down so as not to become too ridiculous. After all, while Cage is perfect in his role, Dracula still needs to be frightening, and as a result, he has several chilling moments throughout. “Renfield” is filled with humor and blood galore, but some scenes are graphically over-the-top. If you can handle that, you will have an absolute blast; otherwise, I’d recommend seeing something less ensanguined.
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