Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)

Directed by: Spike Lee
Country: USA

Movie Review: “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus”, the new Spike Lee joint, is an unorthodox, lavish vampire romance that ultimately is not so striking as intended. The film was funded with the help of a kickstarter campaign, and is an unmodified remake of 1973’ “Ganja & Hess”, written and directed by Bill Gunn. Despite the lack of novelty, the witty dialogues and voluptuous scenes made me keep watching it with some interest. There’s a trashy approach mixed with religious connotations and a bourgeois posture, which are not completely repellent, only the narrative stays a bit behind, with some encounters seeming sometimes too fictitious to be believable. Stephen Tyrone Williams plays Dr. Hess Green, a cultivated collector, expert on African art, who is doing research about an ancient tribe of blood drinkers. After being violently stabbed with one of the tribe’s mysterious weapon, by his suicidal assistant, Mr. Hightower, Hess becomes a merciless vampire. He shows no compassion or remorse when craving for blood, whether if the victim is a prostitute or an innocent mother. Something changes when he meets Hightower’s British ex-wife, Ganja (Zaraah Abrahams), and insane as it sounds, the solitary vampire marries her and turns her into his feminine equal. The intensity of carnal pleasures and blood feast will increase when they lure Hess’s old female friend to their den. The score includes assorted genres, from combative rap music to Brazilian captivating rhythms such as of Milton Nascimento and Jorge Benjor. Spike Lee, whose good ideas are becoming very scarce lately, manages to get away with “Da Sweet Blood of Jesus”, especially considering his budget limitations.