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Blade
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Amen Ra Films
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Imaginary Forces
New Line Cinema New Line Cinema
Blade Collection Blade Collection

Blade

Against an army of Immortals, one warrior must draw first blood.

1998 121 min ★ 6.9 (6,954) Released
Action Horror

The Daywalker known as "Blade" - a half-vampire, half-mortal man - becomes the protector of humanity against an underground army of vampires.

Original title
Blade
Language
EN
Country
US
Budget
$45,000,000
Revenue
$131,183,530
Reviews & Ratings 6
r96sk

r96sk

Jan 4, 2025 · via TMDB

★ 7.0

<em>'Blade'</em> is not entirely what I expected. I had no clue this was about vampires, like at all. I evidently knew little about these films, I was anticipating a relatively standard yet stylish superhero flick - based upon the lead character's look, which is the only thing I knew of. That's not a criticism, as the vampire stuff ended up being pretty fun to watch unfold. I will say that Wesley Snipes is the reason for that fact though, as Stephen Dorff and his band of one-dimensional renegades are only just narrowly watchable. Snipes as the titular character is excellent though, while Kris Kristofferson and N'Bushe Wright are good too. The special effects haven't aged the best, though some parts are still decent and, to be honest, even the less than good pieces still work. For example the effect used when the vampires are killed looks fine, though the end with Frost's blood does look a bit dorky now - but again, works.

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Aug 28, 2023 · via TMDB

★ 6.0

Wesley Snipes is "Blade" - an immortal half-breed charged with protecting mankind from the menace of the ever-peckish vampires with only his quirky sidekick "Whistler" (Kris Kristofferson) as an ally. Finally, the vampire council decide it is time to rid themselves of their nemesis and so "Deacon Frost" (Stephen Dorff) is tasked with bringing him down. I was always a fan of Dorff - never the best actor, but he had a bit of presence on screen - a good looking bit of rough, I suppose - and here is is a good counterpoint to the fastidious man-in-black whom he is out to destroy. The fight scenes are too choreographed for me, way too much acrobatics that detract from the menace of the story - it's supposed by about vampires, not rhythmic gymnastics - but it still moves along well as "Frost" tries to summon the blood god "La Magra" to give him the ultimate power to defeat our hero. This doesn't hang about, the action is fast-paced and the effects and characterisations gel quite well together for an enjoyable, if predictable story that is by far the best of the sequels it spawned.

Andre Gonzales

Andre Gonzales

Apr 30, 2023 · via TMDB

★ 10.0

When this came out I thought it was the best vampire movie ever. Tons of action, fight scenes, and gore. I love how the vampires look when they die. One of my favorites!

JPV852

JPV852

Dec 2, 2020 · via TMDB

★ 7.0

Some good fight scenes and like Snipes in the role (reminded me of a time when he was trying) and Stephen Dorff was an okay villain, plus it was a serviceable plot. However, and I know this was 1997/98 when it was made, but the CGI at the end took me out of it (hell, good CGI done today takes me out of these sorts of films). But all in all, found it entertaining enough. **3.75/5**

John Chard

John Chard

Apr 14, 2020 · via TMDB

★ 8.0

The Daywalker. Half human and half vampire, Blade's function in life is to rid the world of vampires, he is driven forward by the notion that his mother was killed by his half brethren. This is no ordinary vampire film, this is nothing to do with bearing crosses and creatures making music of the night, this is armoured weaponry, dazzling swordplay and a protagonist that is as cool as anything that has leaped off of the comic book page. Wesley Snipes (perfect piece of casting) is Blade, a much troubled superhero (aren't they all?), he has to take a formula suppressant to keep away his inner vampire cravings. Aided by trusty pal, Whistler (Kris Kristofferson), they wage war against all blood suckers and here they must stop the sinister Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) from executing his monstrous plan. There are no cranial pondering's here in this piece, this is a joyously high velocity action horror movie, containing great choreography and retaining its comic book heart. Blade is pure popcorn fodder for the MTV generation, in fact director Stephen Norrington utilises his music video background to great effect as the combat scenes are scored with delightful sledgehammer precision. Blood brains and gore flow freely as the film hurtles towards the head splitting conclusion, loud, dark and tinged with brooding menace, Blade is hugely recommended for a ripper of a night in. 7.5/10

Gimly

Gimly

Aug 25, 2019 · via TMDB

First released in 1998, Blade brought commercial success back to Super Hero films, after the woeful distribution of films like Batman & Robin and Steel stopped the genre in its tracks. Starring Wesley Snipes as the eponymous Half-Vampire/Half-Human hybrid come Super Hero/Vampire Hunter, Blade works with Dr. Karen Jensen and Abraham Whistler (Kris Kristofferson) in order to defeat vampires Deacon Frost (Stephen Dorff) and Quinn (Donal Logue) and their host of undead soldiers before they can kill Gitano Dragonetti (Udo Kier) and the other vampire Elders in a ritual that will transform Deacon Frost into La Magra, the vampire Blood God. With me so far? No? That figures. The script's interesting, but it's not terribly sense-making. What I mean to say, is, the script's rubbish, but the *story* is great. The whole film is really rather story and effects driven, but the characters are pretty lacking. Quinn is sort of fun, and Deacon's... well... he's attractive, but not a lot else. Still, there's more to him than most of the characters, including the titular Blade. Straight up, just putting out there, I think goth-culture is attractive, so, my aesthetics may go quite a way to influencing my decision in the final score, if you disagree with me, you might want to keep that in mind, seeing as most vampires have at least a little bit of that going on. All that aside though, the opening of Blade is one of the strongest ways a film can start off that I've ever seen. It has basically everything you could want for a modern vampire tale. Including the Blood Rave song, Confusion (Pump Panel Remix) by New Order. The cinematography was another cool point, lots of ins and outs in a non-nauseating way. Although the fight choreography suffered from a serious case of "Only-One-Guy-Attacks-At- A-Time" Syndrome. Come on guys, this ain't Tekken. When there's an army to fight, fight an army. Maybe not all at once, I know that could get a tad pointless, but it really didn't transfer well in this film. To end with, there's one plot-hole I'd like to bring up, I don't think I'll be spoiling anything too badly, but if you want to go in completely fresh, stop reading. There's one point when Frost says he needs to kill the 12 Elder vamps in a big underground ritual in order to complete his ascendancy into the Blood God (Khorne?), but he kills the leader earlier, on a beach. Okay, so maybe he wasn't counted, and he was actually number 13. But, Frost's lady-friend Mercury kills another with Blade's sword, before the ritual gets started, and nobody seems to care... I am dubious- faced. After all that though, Blade is a vampire film that's not slow like Nosferatu, and not indescribably awful like Twilight, so for people with tastes like mine, it's certainly worth a geez. 66% -Gimly

User reviews courtesy of TMDB.

Keywords 22
based on comic blade deadly escapade good versus evil hero martial arts martial arts master master warrior one man army revenge rivalry scientist secret headquarters super power superhero supernatural sword fight tragic hero urban gothic vampire vampire hunter (slayer)
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Cast 48
Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes

Blade

Stephen Dorff

Stephen Dorff

Deacon Frost

Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson

Whistler

N'Bushe Wright

N'Bushe Wright

Karen

Donal Logue

Donal Logue

Quinn

Udo Kier

Udo Kier

Dragonetti

Arly Jover

Arly Jover

Mercury

Traci Lords

Traci Lords

Racquel

Kevin Patrick Walls

Kevin Patrick Walls

Krieger

Tim Guinee

Tim Guinee

Curtis Webb

Sanaa Lathan

Sanaa Lathan

Vanessa

Eric Edwards

Eric Edwards

Pearl

Carmen Thomas

Carmen Thomas

Senior Resident

Shannon Lee

Shannon Lee

Resident

Kenny Johnson

Kenny Johnson

Heatseeking Dennis

Clint Curtis

Clint Curtis

Creepy Morgue Guy

Judson Scott

Judson Scott

Pallantine

Keith Leon Williams

Keith Leon Williams

Kam

Andray Johnson

Andray Johnson

Paramedic

Stephen R. Peluso

Stephen R. Peluso

Paramedic

John Enos III

John Enos III

Blood Club Bouncer

Eboni 'Chrystal' Adams

Eboni 'Chrystal' Adams

Martial Arts Kid

Freeman White

Freeman White

Menacing Stud

D.V. DeVincentis

D.V. DeVincentis

Vampire Underling

Marcus Salgado

Marcus Salgado

Frost's Goon

Esau McKnight

Esau McKnight

Frost's Goon

Erl Van Douglas

Erl Van Douglas

Von Esper

Matt Schulze

Matt Schulze

Crease

Lennox Brown

Lennox Brown

Pleading Goon

Irena Stepić

Irena Stepić

Slavic Vampire Lord

Jenya Lano

Jenya Lano

Russian Woman

Levan Uchaneishvili

Levan Uchaneishvili

Russian Vampire

Chris Casamassa

Chris Casamassa

Vampire (uncredited)

Ron Cobert

Ron Cobert

Vampire (uncredited)

Ryan Glorioso

Ryan Glorioso

Blood Bath Vampire (uncredited)

Al Goto

Al Goto

Henchman (uncredited)

Mark Heenehan

Mark Heenehan

Club Patron (uncredited)

Steven Ho

Steven Ho

Frost's Goon (uncredited)

Jeff Imada

Jeff Imada

Henchman (uncredited)

Diana Lee Inosanto

Diana Lee Inosanto

Blood Bath Vampire (uncredited)

Ted King

Ted King

Vampire at Rave (uncredited)

Henry Kingi

Henry Kingi

Bartender (uncredited)

Stephen Norrington

Stephen Norrington

Vampire (uncredited)

Gerald Okamura

Gerald Okamura

Vampire (uncredited)

Frankie Ray

Frankie Ray

Vampire Lord (uncredited)

Simon Rhee

Simon Rhee

Henchman (uncredited)

Jen Taylor

Jen Taylor

Vampire (uncredited)

Brenda Song

Brenda Song

Hostage Child (uncredited)

Crew 91
Miles Teves

Miles Teves

Conceptual Design

Miles Teves

Miles Teves

Sculptor

Paul A. Edwards

Paul A. Edwards

Camera Operator

Theo van de Sande

Theo van de Sande

Director of Photography

Sanja Milkovic Hays

Sanja Milkovic Hays

Costume Design

Irena Stepić

Irena Stepić

Costumer

Judy Crown

Judy Crown

Key Hair Stylist

Gary Archer

Gary Archer

Prosthetics

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes

Martial Arts Choreographer

Lennox Brown

Lennox Brown

Stand In

Henry Kingi Jr.

Henry Kingi Jr.

Stunt Coordinator

April Weeden

April Weeden

Stunt Double

Clay Donahue Fontenot

Clay Donahue Fontenot

Stunt Double

Clayton J. Barber

Clayton J. Barber

Stunt Double

Edward Conna

Edward Conna

Stunt Double

Jeff Brockton

Jeff Brockton

Stunt Double

Mark De Alessandro

Mark De Alessandro

Stunt Double

Ousaun Elam

Ousaun Elam

Stunt Double

Al Goto

Al Goto

Stunts

Anita Hart

Anita Hart

Stunts

Brian Smrz

Brian Smrz

Stunts

Chris Casamassa

Chris Casamassa

Stunts

Danielle Burgio

Danielle Burgio

Stunts

Danny Wynands

Danny Wynands

Stunts

Darrin Prescott

Darrin Prescott

Stunts

David Leitch

David Leitch

Stunts

David Wald

David Wald

Stunts

Diana Lee Inosanto

Diana Lee Inosanto

Stunts

Diana R. Lupo

Diana R. Lupo

Stunts

Eddie Perez

Eddie Perez

Stunts

Eric Chambers

Eric Chambers

Stunts

Erik Rondell

Erik Rondell

Stunts

Felipe Savahge

Felipe Savahge

Stunts

Gerald Okamura

Gerald Okamura

Stunts

Gilbert Rosales

Gilbert Rosales

Stunts

Gregg Smrz

Gregg Smrz

Stunts

Henry Kingi

Henry Kingi

Stunts

Hiro Koda

Hiro Koda

Stunts

J.J. Perry

J.J. Perry

Stunts

Jane Oshita

Jane Oshita

Stunts

Jeannie Epper

Jeannie Epper

Stunts

Jeff Habberstad

Jeff Habberstad

Stunts

Jeff Imada

Jeff Imada

Stunts

Jen Sung

Jen Sung

Stunts

Jesse Borja

Jesse Borja

Stunts

Jimmy Nickerson

Jimmy Nickerson

Stunts

John C. Meier

John C. Meier

Stunts

John Koyama

John Koyama

Stunts

Keith Campbell

Keith Campbell

Stunts

Kenny Endoso

Kenny Endoso

Stunts

Khristian Lupo

Khristian Lupo

Stunts

Kim Robert Koscki

Kim Robert Koscki

Stunts

Leo Lee

Leo Lee

Stunts

Logan Newell

Logan Newell

Stunts

Marguerite Happy

Marguerite Happy

Stunts

Marjean Holden

Marjean Holden

Stunts

Michael Li

Michael Li

Stunts

Michael Owen

Michael Owen

Stunts

Michiko Nishiwaki

Michiko Nishiwaki

Stunts

Richard Cetrone

Richard Cetrone

Stunts

Rochelle Ashana

Rochelle Ashana

Stunts

Roger Yuan

Roger Yuan

Stunts

Ron Yuan

Ron Yuan

Stunts

Rosine 'Ace' Hatem

Rosine 'Ace' Hatem

Stunts

Scott Wilder

Scott Wilder

Stunts

Simon Rhee

Simon Rhee

Stunts

Stanton Barrett

Stanton Barrett

Stunts

Steven Ho

Steven Ho

Stunts

Susie Park

Susie Park

Stunts

Tim Trella

Tim Trella

Stunts

Tsuyoshi Abe

Tsuyoshi Abe

Stunts

Stephen Norrington

Stephen Norrington

Director

Nicole Cummins-Rubio

Nicole Cummins-Rubio

Script Supervisor

Derek Johansen

Derek Johansen

Second Second Assistant Director

Barbara Harris

Barbara Harris

ADR Voice Casting

Avi Arad

Avi Arad

Executive Producer

Lynn Harris

Lynn Harris

Executive Producer

Michael De Luca

Michael De Luca

Executive Producer

Stan Lee

Stan Lee

Executive Producer

Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes

Producer

Mark Isham

Mark Isham

Original Music Composer

Harry Cohen

Harry Cohen

Sound Designer

Lee Orloff

Lee Orloff

Sound Mixer

Harry Cohen

Harry Cohen

Supervising Sound Effects Editor

Andy Clement

Andy Clement

3D Animator

Linda Drake

Linda Drake

Effects Supervisor

Kevin O'Neill

Kevin O'Neill

Visual Effects Supervisor

Mark Kolpack

Mark Kolpack

Visual Effects Supervisor

Gene Colan

Gene Colan

Characters

Marv Wolfman

Marv Wolfman

Characters

David S. Goyer

David S. Goyer

Writer

Gallery 216
Videos 14
Similar Movies 513
US Release Dates 5

Aug 19, 1998

R Premiere

Aug 21, 1998

R Theatrical

Aug 16, 1999

VHS

R Physical

Dec 23, 2003

DVD

R Physical

Jun 19, 2012

Blu-ray

R Physical

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The Stranglers - Live '78, SF

The Stranglers - Live '78, SF

1978

VS
Saddle Leather Law

Saddle Leather Law

1944

Sign in to vote

Battle your watched movies head-to-head

Community Top Movies

🥇 Evil Dead II

Evil Dead II

1987 · 14 wins

🥈 The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight

2008 · 14 wins

🥉 Halloween

Halloween

1978 · 13 wins

#4 Final Destination

Final Destination

2000 · 12 wins

#5 Halloween II

Halloween II

1981 · 11 wins

Sign in to build your own ranking
0 Points
0/0 Correct
0 Streak

Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.

Movie Trivia

Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.

What movie experience do you prefer?

Movie theater — theater popcorn with Icee/soda & maybe nachos 67%
At home — relaxed on your favorite couch or chair with whatever drinks & snacks are in the kitchen 33%
3 votes

What is your favorite movie genre?

Action 33%
Adventure 0%
Animation 0%
Comedy 0%
Crime 0%
Documentary 0%
Drama 0%
Family 0%
Fantasy 0%
History 0%
Horror 67%
Music 0%
Mystery 0%
Romance 0%
Science Fiction 0%
Thriller 0%
War 0%
Western 0%
3 votes

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