Adhering more faithfully to Bram Stoker's 1897 novel than any previous version has, director Francis Ford Coppola, offers a full-blooded portrait of the immortal Transylvanian vampire. Count Dracula (Oldman) drinks blood as a means of avenging the death of his beloved wife in the 15th century. Centuries later, having achieved immortality, he goes to London to meet Mina Murray (Ryder), the living image of his late wife. Abraham Van Helsing (Hopkins) is obsession personified as the vampire hunter who pairs up with Jonathan Harker (Reeves) in a race against time to reclaim Mina's soul from Dracula.