Sleepy Hollow


Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon, Jeffrey Jones, Casper Van Dien, Richard Griffiths, Michael Gough. Directed by Tim Burton.

Ichabod Crane (Depp) is a New York City constable living in 1799. He continually runs afoul of those running the justice system by complaining about their brutal methods. The heads of the justice system are ready to toss Crane into jail, but instead send him to Sleepy Hollow, a little farm community in upstate New York. It seems three people there have been murdered by a supposed headless horseman, who decapitates the victims with one clean blow, and takes their heads away with him. A man of science, Crane does not believe the tales of the headless horseman, a former bloodythirsty soldier (Walken) who loved to decapitate his enemies in battle. When caught by enemy soldiers in the woods near Sleepy Hollow, the soldier was killed, decapitated, and buried. The townfolk believe the horseman is now a ghost riding and killing people because someone took his head from the grave, and he's exacting revenge until it's put back. Crane sets out for Sleepy Hollow to find the real culprit.

Upon arriving he meets the town landlord and leader Mr. Van Tassel (Gambon) and his daughter with shimmering locks of blonde hair Katrina (Ricci). As Crane tries to solve the mystery, more and more people lose their heads, and to Crane, a bit of a pattern emerges. He still doesn't believe the headless horsman myth, until he see's a man killed by the headless horseman right in front of him. But he begins to believe there's a connection between the victims, but will he find who is behind it all?

Most Burton films, from the industrial wasteland of Batman, to the pastel suburbs of Edward Scissorhands, to the shimmering black and white of Ed Woods are stunning pieces of art direction. Except for Edward Scissorhands and a few others, they are much less successful in the story department. Sleepy Hollow is no exception. Visually, the film is fantastic, delivering a gothic look of swirling mists, dark and stormy nights, and beautiful vistas of nature and New York City. The costumes are beautiful and the bold, quick movements of the headless horseman are magnificently done, occasionally to humourous effect. Severing heads and spurting blood occur often, and look quite lifelike, especially the cutting in half of Katrina's fiance. With haunting music reminiscent of Edward Scissorhands, there hints the kind of magic Tim Burton is capable of. But those hints are rare, and mostly in the first half. There are a few things lacking. The story, while it moves along briskly, is not entirely coherent, with a few plot holes shovelled into the film, such as the trick hiding of the identity of the person responsible for the murders. While the black humourous touches are fun at first, they begin to take some of the creepiness and suspense away. And the novelty of the horseman and his exploits fades away in the second half as Crane begins to unravel the mystery.

While both Depp and Ricci give solid performances, the chemistry between them is somewhat lacking, save for a few brief moments. The best performances are provided by the many characters actors that inhabit the film. Gambon is droll and expressive as the town patriarch. Walken, with sharp teeth and pale white skin, is scarrier with his head on than the headless horseman is with it off. Richardson is alternatingly beautiful, soothing and creepy as Kristina's stepmom. While not a bust by any means, I came away from Sleepy Hollow with a bit of an empty feeling, wishing it had been more than it was.




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