Writer: Ezekiel Lee Zhiang Yang

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Watch this if you liked: “Let The Right One In”, “Near Dark”

Great news for anyone who has ever seen the fabulously seductive revisionist vampire flick "Let The Right One In" a.k.a. "Låt Den Rätte Komma In" (2008) - this is ONE Hollywood remake that we CAN approve of! "Let Me In" is in many ways the R-rated thinking man's vampire movie, dealing with the more desperate and tragic aspects of the folklore. As one famous reviewer wrote: "It's not all fun, games and Team Edward". Here, there's a winsome combination of romance, drama and horror. It is what many would who have seen the original would call a tender, appropriate and most acceptable remake.

In what must be a labour of love for writer-director Matt Reeves, "Let Me In" follows the Swedish modern classic closely in terms of texture and direction. All the important scenes are skillfully retained and we have two able child actors in Kodi Smit-McPhee (Viggo Mortensen's kid in 2009's "The Road" and Eric Bana's kid in 2007's "Romulus, My Father") and Chloe Grace Moretz (the foul-mouthed Hit-Girl from 2010's "Kick-Ass"). Smit-McPhee looks very comfortable playing the frail, bullied boy who finds an unlikely friend in Moretz' completely conflicted vampire character. There are intentionally restrained roles by Richard Jenkins as the vampire girl's guardian and also Elias Koteas as a stern cop with many murder cases to solve.

Polished and wonderfully scored, "Let Me In" is much more than just a spookfest and you'll find rich themes of friendship, sacrifice and redemption - even sexual frustration and family dysfunction! Avoid reading more details about the movie from anywhere else and this should cut it as a most rewarding watch for 2010.

Cinema Online, 10 November 2010