10 Hated Movie Performances That Were Secretly Genius

You'd probably be pressed to find fans of Keanu Reeves' performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula even among the film's die-hard lovers - so infamous is his portrayal of Jonathan Harker, a young English lawyer who is ensnared in the eponymous Count's Transylvanian castle. And while it's fair to say that he is not one of the stronger parts of Francis Ford Coppola's enchanting adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, he is also not among its worst. At the very least, Reeves' presence makes the film more entertaining, the actor delivering a sort of Californiaised English accent opposite the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldman, which has, over the years, proven endlessly quotable.

But there's more to Reeves' portrayal than just those iconic line reads (even though "I know where the bastard sleeps!" rattles around in my head on the daily). He brings to Coppola's film a zest and foppishness that forms a stark contrast with the decrepit Count, as well as a naivety that exemplifies the themes of repressed sexuality present in Stoker's text.

Harker explores Dracula's castle in a state of mild bemusement until he is preyed upon by the Count's brides, which takes place as an ethereal seduction. By virtue of his screen presence alone, Reeves embodies Harker's helplessness in this scene perfectly, along with his subsequent devotion to save Mina from his one-time captor later in the film.

His turn may not be a highlight of Bram Stoker's Dracula - certainly not when compared to the performances Hopkins, Oldman, and Sadie Frost give as Van Helsing, Dracula, and Lucy Westenra respectively - but it remains faithful to the novel and, whether intentionally or otherwise, embodies its most essential themes.