There are two types of Nicolas Cage movies. They’re bad with Cage doing a decent to good performance, or they’re a good where the performance is either great or phenomenal. Universal Pictures’ Renfield fits the latter, with the legendary actor chewing up every scene. I’m a sucker for a good Nicolas Cage movie, and Renfield is an excellent reminder of why the actor continues to be a notable presence in Hollywood and on the big screen.
Renfield is directed by Chris McKay, and stars Nicolas Cage (Dracula), Nicolas Hoult (Renfield), and Awkwafina (Rebecca). The script, written by Ryan Ridley, follows Renfield as he deals with an abusive Dracula while trying to build a “backbone” with the aid of Rebecca. That description of the movie sounds simple enough but is complex when you take time to view the film as more than just “fun.”
The “fun” aspect of Renfield primarily falls on the script. Ridely’s writing calls for many comedy beats and gags that work most of the time. The writer showcases several comedic line deliveries handled by Hoult and Awkwafina that are dry to loud. Hoult manages the dry observational humor that works well with his character. It fits with the portrayal of someone bullied most of their life but gets past that when the occasion calls for it – predominantly during the action set pieces.
Awkwafina, on the other side of the spectrum, takes her style of comedy and applies it to her character minus the “Blackccent” that she built her career on. The actress kept her being-loud-to-be-funny schtick – which does work at times – but not all the time. Besides Cage, Ben Schwartz (Teddy Lobo) looks to have the most fun with his character.
Schwartz has been in several comedy projects and utilizes that to match up with the comedic tone of Renfield. His timing is excellent when landing the jokes, and he tends to outshine the cast – minus Cage.
The script’s complex side says a lot about the relationship between Renfield and Dracula. The trailer for the movie is The Dark One, as this mean a**hole that rarely lets up on the protagonist. However, that notion only hints at what Ridley was bringing to the table. Renfield is a movie about being in an abusive relationship, a victim of gaslighting and crawling from the depths of depression.
These are some weighty topics to cover, but Ridley works well with McKay’s direction to make them more digestible. For example, the movie features several scenes and characters in a support group for people in abusive relationships, but it is humorous. Mckay doesn’t paint the characters as people to laugh at – but as people to laugh with as they heal. These scenes align significantly with Renfield’s character arch and building a genuine relationship with Rebecca.
McKay’s directing helps shape some of the best entraining parts of the movie. For lack of a better word, Renfield is bloody as f**k. Several action set pieces take a cannonball-level splash when Renfield wastes many goons who’re just in the movie to be fodder. The death and kills become increasingly creative but aren’t grotesquely violent. McKay uses his frenetic directing style and skillful fight choreography to ramp up the amusement and leans into the idea that this movie knows what it is – silly but in a good way.
There’s even this great scene when Renfield recounts how he met The Prince of Darkness. McKay uses footage from Bela Lugosi’s 1931 Dracula and puts Hoult and Cage in the place of the main characters. It’s a funny gag that adds more to the clever techniques used in Renfield.
The best of this movie is Cage himself. The actor plays Dracula as if Peter Loew from Vampire’s Kiss finally became a vampire, took The Count’s name in his honor, and still thought he was better than everyone. I could tell that Cage was having a lot of fun with the role and knew how to play the right kind of villain simultaneously. Unfortunately, the actor is not in Renfield for most of the movie, but his presence is felt throughout the story.
My only big gripe with the film is several plot holes. Some involve a specific gang controlling the city, villain healing powers over time, and the relationship between Rebecca and her father. Those are just to name a few, but they didn’t take me out of the movie. I just wished the writing could’ve better handled these issues.
Renfield is a fun action comedy with plenty of great scenes with Cage and a decent cast. The movie is worth seeing because it’ll likely gain “underrated” status throughout film history. Another thing to consider is that the movie should probably be seen while inebriated – but only if you’ll do it responsibly.