Movie: Let Me In

• Director: Matt Reeves
• Release Date: December 2010
• Writers: Matt Reeves, John Ajvide Lindqvist
• Run Time: 116
• Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Tagline: Innocence dies. Abby does not.

Review: Given the background to this film, I must start by saying I have neither read the book it is based on, nor seen the 2008 Swedish original. After watching this masterpiece, I intend to do both.

This is a truly sensational film. When you cant really pin a film down to a specific genre, you know youre onto something special. Calling this film a vampire movie doesnt really do it justice, given the preconceived notions most film goers bring to the genre. It is part horror, part dark family drama, part love story, with all 3 categories succeeding admirably.

In my estimation, the director has come on in leaps and bounds since Cloverfield, a movie with a clever idea that was hampered by a poor cast and so-so execution. Here the director sets a mood of oppression and isolation from the very earliest frames and never lets up. The locations are used superbly, as are lighting and sound to create the gloomy world poor Owen is stranded in.

The film undeniably belongs to Chloe Grace Moretz as the young vampire Abby. This girl is an absolute powerhouse of an actress, turning in a dark, subtle and convincing performance that belies her tender age of 12. If she does not make the shortlist for next years Oscars, the Academy needs its collective head examined. She embodies the potent mixture of lovable innocence and animalistic darkness within Abby with such ease, you will be genuinely astounded.

My fellow Aussie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, is also excellent, making you really feel for the put-upon Owen and share in his joy at finding a spark of happiness with the mysterious Abby. The entire film falls apart if this pair fail to convince, so it is a testimony to their respective talents, particularly Moretz, that you invest so heavily in their relationship.

If anyone is in two minds about seeing this film, take the gamble and shell out your hard-earned. Youll be glad you did, if for no other reason than witnessing one of the most impressive performances by a child actor in cinema history.