Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra, Steven Mackintosh Director: Patrick Tatopoulos
You get the sense that a lot of love went into the making of this, the prequel to the previous two films in the series of vampire romps. So it comes as little surprise to find the man at the helm, first-time director Patrick Tatopoulos, was previously in charge of creating the monsters.
Tatopoulos shows he knows more than just where to apply the makeup and Silly Putty, wisely giving plenty of screen time to two of modern cinema's great character actors.
Bill Nighy (as the chief blood-sucker) and Michael Sheen (as the werewolf who steals the heart of the old boy's daughter) are given the chance to scream, scratch and claw. They are serious and wonderfully preposterous at the same time.
We find out where all the angst in the first two films comes from. The werewolves, bred to be slaves, are in revolt and Tatopoulos allows his film to play out without overloading his audience.
His style - as you might imagine, given his background - is very visual: shadows and darkness, with the violence coming in flashes.