i think it was technically fairly well done, but i think the basic plot is a big FAIL.The Jude Law character feeds on blood, but can walk around in daylight with no issues. The problem is that when he feeds on women to stay alive, the women have to die in the process.Trying to stay alive is generally admirable, but trying to stay alive at the cost of other innocent people's lives is going too far. Once he crossed this road, he was no longer someone I could identify or sympathize with. Here's an analogy: Suppose the cure for a particular type of cancer turned out to require the killing of an innocent person at least once a month. The cure ends up being worse than the disease. You end up transforming from a victim of cancer into a mass murderer. This is sort of similar to the plot line of this story. You can't really glamorize it or hold it in any kind of positive, romantic light, because there is none. Which all makes me wonder what qualities in the story drove the people involved in producing this movie to actually green light it.

The plot: A philosophical vampire falls in love with his latest victim and befriends the cop investigating his previous murders.This is certainly a non-traditional vampire movie. The protagonist is a vampire who feeds only on the blood of people who have experienced strong emotions. He's basically a serial killer who makes his victims love him, before he kills them -- a rather disturbing thought. He seems to mourn his victims, in a detached and philosophical way, until he finally meets someone that he truly cares for. It is his nature to destroy, however, and one can't help but think that this romance is doomed.This is an understated romantic thriller, more interested in artistic pretension than gory scenes. The movie is strongly influenced by Ridley Scott, and, in some ways, seems like a retelling of Blade Runner, with Roy Batty as the protagonist, instead of Deckard. It's quite interesting but, ultimately, a bit derivative.

The Wisdom of Crocodiles is one of a new breed of vampire movies. Probably started by Abel Ferrera's "The Addiction", vampirism has turned into a sort of curse that turns it's afflicted into brooding philosophers. Gone are the vampire bats, wooden stakes and crucifixes that once were the staples of the genre, and the vampire genre has been changed into a commentary on disease. However, I'm all for innovation, even if it's not always advisable innovation, and The Wisdom of Crocodiles is one of the better 'new wave' vampire films. It actually seems to be taking more influence from George Romero's excellent 'Martin' than 'The Addiction' anyway. The Wisdom of Crocodiles (great name, by the way) stars Jude Law, in a tight performance, as a man afflicted with some sort of curse that forces him to suck the blood of women while in the act of lovemaking. To say any more than that would mean spoiling it, so I'll leave it there.The Wisdom of Crocodiles has gained itself something of a cult following, and the channel I saw it on even introduced it as a 'cult classic'. I think this is an incorrect description of the film, as although it's not bad and certainly has it's moments; it hardly has the same qualities as true cult masterpieces, such as the aforementioned 'Martin'. The film benefits from a brooding atmosphere that is created by a brooding musical score that plays through almost the entire running time. This never gets annoying however, as the music is good and almost always adds to the images seen on screen. The film is slowly plotted, which might annoy some people and it's littered with philosophical ideas that Jude Law utters for a lot of the running time. This will probably irritate people that tuned in expecting a vampire movie, especially as there's little bloodletting, but some of the ideas put forward are fairly interesting, and keep the film alive.This film shouldn't really be in with the classic vampire films at all, as it's a completely different animal (I suppose they couldn't really put it in with 'brooding cursed people', though). Vampire fans should take note of this, but even without the classic vampire thrills; there is much to like about this British chiller.

THE WISDOM OF CROCODILES (2000) **1/2 Jude Law, Elina Lowensohn, Timothy Spall, Jack Davenport, Colin Solmon, Kerry Fox. Unusual revisionistic spin on the vampire story with Law as a mysterious man whose sexual/romantic conquests feed his otherworldly health condition (essentially devouring his lovers' blood and absorbing their emotions including love which he desperately needs to continue to live) and meets his match when he falls deeply in love with his next victim Lowensohn. Stylish and at times original but the ending betrays the setup and ultimately destroys the established rhythm. (Dir: Po Chih Leong)