If it seems this month seems to be the month for railing against remakes, it isn't without justification. There are just so many in the pipeline at the Hollywood studios that it bears noting. Without beating the proverbial horse on our ire for this ludicrous practice that has seized the majors, this post will be a simple illustration, allowing you the reader to judge for yourself. For those of you who are not familiar with the legend of the 47 Ronin, one of Japan's most culturally beloved and recognized tales, you can read more about it here.
Now, read the comments of writer Chris Morgan (Cellular, The Fast and the Furious, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Wanted) who is charged with the American take on the story with Keanu Reeves attached.
It's this great, 'Gladiator'-esque, '300'-like big action movie with samurai and ninja...'The 47 Ronin' is a true story that took place around 1700-1701...It's a time in Japanese culture when it was all about [the] bushido [code] and honor, and putting internal things over external things -- swords that were made to be functional instead of ornamental, that kind of stuff.
Please pay careful attention to the words he has applied to the story and compare that to what you read at the link provided. As we keep saying, what are these remakes really about? Do yourself a favor and go rent one of the classic film versions of the story from Japanese masters such as Mizoguchi Kenji (an almost entirely bloodless exploration of the samurai's existential angst) or Inagaki Hiroshi (a 1962 version focused more on questioning cultural values).
Thanks to Twitch Film for putting the spotlight on this wonderful short film by young filmmaker Ishida Hiroyasu (aka Tete). The independent anime movement has been quietly growing ever since Shinkai Makoto paved the way with films such as Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimetres Per Second. Fumiko no Kokuhaku (Fumiko's Confession) is beautifully realized with expert comic staging and direction. The painterly backgrounds are playfully "imperfect" and bright in their palette, reinforcing the humor in the piece. Enjoy!
If Ishida is the sign of things to come, I can only welcome this upcoming talent and look forward to a full length feature sometime in the future. Ishida's official site can be found HERE where there are links to sketches and pre-production work for this film and other, what seem to be student works.
Yahoo Movies released the first teaser for the remake of Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington who may be turning into the flavor of the month--time will tell. We have said our peace here about remakes, but this teaser only serves the point. What are they marketing in this minute and a half? Is it a classic fable of heroism? Is it the struggle of man against divine forces? Or is it monsters, swords, and gods...oh my!
The only dialogue in the piece doesn't feel mythic. In fact, it's almost downright contemporary, despite being delivered by Pete Postelthwaite. When you slap on rock music to a stream of jumping, grimacing, running imagery, and with the Monday Night Football inspired "Titans"-"Will"-"Clash" tagline, the intention of the filmmakers, so far it seems, is to pull in the crowd whose "literature" involves comic books and whose "epics" are found on videogame consoles.
But this is just the teaser. There is certainly more to be offered, right???
This is the poster that was released during the American Film Market, currently taking place in Santa Monica, for the upcoming remake of the classic Charles Bronson thriller. We here are not the biggest fans of remakes as they are a distinct sign in the lack of faith Hollywood has in original material, even though there are so many interesting concepts out there.
The Mechanic was a heady, cat-and-mouse thriller about a contract killer that played out more like a procedural than a typical action film, especially one from the 70s. I can almost guarantee you that the elements that made the original very intelligent and taut with tension will most certainly be replaced by gritty action and a lot of posturing by our players.
That said, however, the main impetus for this post is the marketing of the film. The poster above is fairly typical of key art that comes out of AFM as most films have yet to start principal photography and are deep into pre-production. The goal at AFM is to attract distributors. At this stage, the producers probably have not had time to shoot proper cast photos, so a bearded jawline that seems like lead Jason Stratham is enough. What is laughable is the briefcase being made the central focus of the poster, one with the star's name on it as if it's labeled just in case he loses it. But the piece-de-resistance is the tag line:
There are thousands of ways to kill a man... Just check his briefcase
Aside from being sterile rather than compelling the English grammar should make one chuckle. It's obvious the copy writer means for us to check the "hitman's" briefcase (you know the one with Stratham's name on it), but grammatically, the "his" in the second line modifies the previous, noun, and in this case that would be the man you can kill thousands of ways. So, what this poster is telling us is if we wanted to kill a man, all we need to do is to check his briefcase to find out how.
Hollywood...you're certainly good for a laugh, if anything.
The 80s was a wonderful period for of those of you who grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons, as sword & sorcery fantasy films were frequently being made and released. Most have been, of course, relegated to "cult film" status these days, but it is truly a shame that the genre as a whole all but disappeared for the past 20 years. That is...until Peter Jackson proved that interest in fantasy films has lain dormant, ready to be awakened.
Now, "fantasy epics" are being greenlit by many studios. Among these, a small little film is being made in the spirit that existed back in fantasy films' heyday. The title, Tales of an Ancient Empire, should be familiar to any of you who know of one of the classic films of 80s fantasy, The Sword and the Sorcerer, a brisk, high adventure film that was unapologetic about its masculinity & chauvinism; the fantastic three-bladed sword wielded by the hero, Talon (played by Lee Horsley), featured in the title was an immediate allure for the genre's fans. The film ended promising further adventures of Talon in an upcoming film called Tales of an Ancient Empire. Then the fantasy bubble burst.
Flash forward to today as The Sword and the Sorcerer's original director, Albert Pyun, is busy in post-production on the long promised sequel. Naturally, the previous film's hero, Talon, is now too old to continue the adventures, so a new, young band of warriors lead by Kevin Sorbo of TVs "Hercules" series, will take the reigns as Talon's children. Albert Pyun has recently been releasing clips of the unfinished film on his Vimeo site, letting fans in to the process, revealing rough cuts of scenes. It is a brilliant bit of marketing, giving fans snippets to wet their appetites in addition to serving as a promotional tool to attract new fans unfamiliar with the original film. Beyond this, however, the clips reveal the important role editing plays in filmmaking. By viewing the scenes Pyun has made available, one can get a sense of how performances can be shaped, mood manipulated, and potential script inconsistencies or problems fixed or circumvented. They also reveal how music, sound, and other crafts related to the process complete the experience.
The first scene released is a simple conversation scene between the two leads, Sorbo, and Melissa Ordway. As the very first glimpse at footage from the film, the scene confidently quells personal worries that the film would lose something in the "mists of time" as sensibilities have certainly changed in the last 20 years. This feels like a sword and sorcery film and more importantly, it still feels like The Sword and the Sorcerer. I think it is safe to say that had Pyun not directed this sequel, I think the sensation would be quite different.
You can view 3 other clips (and I assume more are to follow) at Pyun's Vimeo site by clicking here. I look forward to seeing the difference between these rough cuts and their final iteration in the released film. With a rumored sequel to another 80s cult favorite, Hawk the Slayer, going in to production, fantasy adventures might just be making a comeback. Fingers crossed...
A few months ago, I wrote a post about a new period adventure that Luc Besson would be helming. Now, the first official image for the film as been released.
It may be small, but it is at least a glimpse of the visual adaptation of the French comic. The cast has also been revealed by Europa Corp. Louise Bourgoin (The Girl from Monaco) takes on the titular role of Adele Blanc-Sec. A relative newcomer with only a few films under her belt, she is mostly known for her alluring looks and obvious sex appeal. It will be interesting to see how she takes on a "flapper-esque" liberated woman at the turn of the century. Rounding out the cast are Mathieu Amalric (Quantum of Solace / The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Gilles Lellouche (Mesrine: L'instinct de mort), and Jean Paul Rouve (La môme). With any luck production stills of the cast in their roles will be released in the near future. Needless to say, my excitement for this project continues to grow.
If you want more proof of the dedication and production savvy Russia has been displaying lately, check out this clip from the upcoming, Disney produced fantasy film, Kniga Masterov. Definitely epic in scope with a solid sense of production design and effects visualization.
This one debuted yesterday. It's good seeing Mel Gibson doing the "tough guy" thing again. His performance in Payback--and the film itself for that matter--are highly underrated. Naturally, comparisons are already being made to the surprise hit Taken but they are inaccurate. As stated before, Taken is more of a "search & destroy" film while Edge of Darkness is more the classic revenge film. Remember, one of the daughters in these films is still alive! Some uninformed commenters on various sites have also accused this film of ripping the concept of Taken. Again, this is inaccurate as Edge of Darkness is actually a film adaptation of a BBC television series from 1985. The director of that series is also at the helm of the film version: Martin Campbell. Given his outstanding work in Casino Royale, the onscreen fireworks tantalized in the trailer below should be quite thrilling. Sizzling with subtly menacing lines, kudos must also be given to the script as well with Ray Winstone looking to have most of the meatier dialogue. Looking forward to this one very much.
Apologies for the lack of posts this month. As maintaining this blog is done more out of love than necessity, it naturally takes a back seat to the real work that ultimately comes in large, heavy doses. This will probably continue through October and in to November, but to make up for it, I decided to put together all the posts I was going to do on the emerging cinema of Russia. Like their other forms of art, Russian films come from a completely different standpoint grounded solidly on their rich, textured history and expressed with a scope of vision as large as the country during the height of its imperialism. The new generation of filmmakers are creating exciting epics as well as taught modern dramas and thrillers. Perhaps thanks to the success of Timur-Bekmambetovs' Daywatch and Nightwatch, the world is taking notice and the Russian film industry is gaining confidence.
INHABITED ISLAND 1 & 2 Fyodor Bondarchuk's adaptation of the Strugatsky Brothers' "Inhabited Island" certainly flaunts its big budget. The sci-fi epic revels in glorious production design calling upon dystopian cityscapes, authoritarian aesthetics, ecclesiastical symbolism, and a good dose of spectacular action set pieces. The story centers on astronaut Maxim Kammerer who crashes on the planet Saraksh whose inhabitants are ruled by the Unknown Fathers. Find the trailers for both parts below.
MORFIA or MORPHIA Haunting period film with touches of the phantasmagoric. Lucid films about those who are addicted and the world in which they live can take many forms. However, the filmmakers of this film have taken those themes and infused it with disturbing sexuality that give this turn-of-the-century narrative a charismatically dark allure.
THE INTERCEPTOR Special effects team behind the Nightwatch films lend their skills to this film about a "Special Forces agent who is trained by a time shifting angel and guided by forces of the future and is pitted against the ruthless leader of a criminal syndicate." (Screen Daily) There's a good mix of contemporary action melded with, once again, some distinctive sci-fi production design and visualization.
FIGHTER'S NIGHT America is not alone in its love for video games, especially those in which combat scenarios are involved. The concerns for youth brought up on such "entertainment" are also borderless. This film is just one of a few films to have come out that deals with how contemporary youth may no longer be able to distinguish virtual and real violence. From the trailer, the filmmakers seem to have taken two parts Fight Club, one part Tron, and a dash of Hackers to sell this cautionary thriller.
BLACK LIGHTNING The Nightwatch trilogy's Timur Bekmambetov has been developing what he calls his response to Transformers and Batman, but judging from the latest teaser, that response is less about those films' spectacle and more about their theme of average people coming into contact with or becoming extraordinary. The focus of the film is a black Volga, a Russian automobile steeped with cultural history, with some unusual capabilities. What will the protagonist do with such an amazing vehicle...
UPDATED!! (new trailer shows the "blockbuster" intentions of this quite impressive looking adventure.)
CLOSE ENEMY Criminal underworld story in which a young woman's happy life is shattered when her husband is murdered. She decides to avenge her husband by finding all those responsible. Her vendetta hits a snag when she discovers her father ordered her husband's hit...hence the title. Confidently shot and looks to have capable players in all the roles as well as being rather sleek and sexy. Michael Mann would be proud, I think.
NEWSMAKERS The Russian remake of Johnny To's Breaking News has spared no expense. Top actors and a very capable director (Swedish in fact) confidently relocates the story of an embarrassing defeat of a police battalion by five bank robbers in a ballistic showdown which is broadcast live by a TV news unit destroying the credibility of the police force. In order to beat the media at its own game, a shrewd inspector decides to turn the stakeout of one detective, who discovers the hideout of the robbers, into a breaking news show.
ROUTE M8 Odd characters and stranger situations clash in this stylish gangster film with a slightly playful edge, ala Guy Ritchie. The story? A couple are beset by all manner of nare-do-wells while on a road trip. Regardless of the basic set up, the trailer certainly displays high production value and a solid sense of entertainment.
ANTIKILLER 3 Third installment of the ANTIKILLER series of thrillers based on Danil Koretskii's novel, which has sold five million copies in the countries of the former Soviet Union and has acquired cult status among readers of Russian pulp fiction. The stories follow the adventures of the protagonist Agent Fox (Gosha Kutsenko), a former police officer who takes on fighting crime on his own. Director Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovskii shows his propensity for Hollywood-styled genre cinema; the body counts are high, the explosions big, the stunts jaw dropping...all expertly photographed and coordinated.
R The transliteration of the title means "Ya" or "Me" in Russian. Directed by Igor Voloshin, this visually lush film about a man who meets his apparent death and recalls his life as he journeys between life and death, realizing the scope of the generations in which he has lived. The story is intentionally broad, allowing for the character to "travel" through his life while giving the director the latitude to play with a storytelling style reminiscent of other reality bending films such as Across the Universe or The Science of Sleep.
ULENKA: Deadly Lessons Russia's has their creepy little girls as well. The story follows a university lecturer who moves to a small, provincial town for the sake of his wife's health, and begins teaching at a school for girls. That's when his nightmare begins as the girls in his class harbor a dark secret, and play an even darker game...with human lives. There is plenty of tension in the trailer and the lead actress for the the title character Ulenka, seems just right. Looks to be more than capable of putting the audience at the edge of their seats.
These are but a sampling of the growing list of attractive Russian films. What should be noted is the variety of films, particular in the multiple genres, and the production value the industry is putting in to each. It's no wonder that Hollywood is beginning to court many of these filmmakers for their projects; though I do hope those directors who do delve into major Hollywood fair will continue to create films in their own home.
As stated in the previous post, a problem or hurdle for biographical films is the possibility that the story might dilute the mystique of the individual in question. Another hurdle, however, is crafting a story that is compelling enough for people to watch; the assumption in the case of Amelia Earhart is that people already know "the end." This is the challenge for the filmmakers of Amelia, a film that hopes to reveal the life of the legendary aviatrix prior to her even more legendary disappearance. Hillary Swank strikes a remarkable likeness to Earhart's natural, non-fashion plate looks as well as what must have been her unfettered passion for aviation. From the trailer, it seems director Mira Nair will be approaching the narrative from the standpoint of how Earhart's pioneering spirit & ambition affects the men in her life, played by Richard Gere and Ewan McGregor, and captivates the entire nation. This could possibly be the proper way to tackle the subject matter as it creates a thematic opportunity to explore how certain individuals and the populace itself are impacted by her ultimate disappearance. It would be even better if the story were told from the perspective of those around her, perhaps Gere's character, but it is already obvious that Swank as Earhart will be the center of the film. Kudos must be given to Mira Nair's storytelling. There are some gorgeously shot scenes in this film with Nair utilizing color only the way someone with an aesthetic background from Indian cinema could. She imparts very dreamy, almost free flight elegance to the flight scenes which is important when trying to visually relate to the audience how Amelia Earhart felt about flying.
James Cameron proved that knowing how a true life story ends, doesn't necessarily mean a film about (or even set around) real events should or will follow audience presumptions. Amelia Earhart's achievements (they were many and remarkable) and mysterious disappearance is set in history; what remains to be told is what the life she lived and void she left meant for those who knew her. Let us hope that Nair, Swank, Gere, and company will circumvent presumptions and exceed expectations. The film is set for release on October 23rd.
The danger of autobiographical films is the chance that they may actually take away from the mystique or rub the gleam off of the legend. However, in the case of Coco Chanel, the "Chanel" brand is so powerful and influential in modern fashion history that it might be easy to forget that Chanel is the name of a remarkable woman. Coco avant Chanel attempts to trace the life of Gabrielle Chanel from her childhood when she learned sewing in a convent school, to a youth singing at cafes where she received the nickname of "Coco", and through her meteoric rise as fashion innovator. Audrey Tautou takes on the role of Gabrielle from young adulthood and it easy to appreciate the reasons for her casting. Tautou bears a similar sleek physique to the actual Gabrielle Chanel that makes her look just as graceful and smart in Coco Chanel designs and an intensity behind her eyes that sells the uncompromising passion of the genuine individual. Behind the camera is Anne Fontaine, no stranger to female-centric narratives and before this turns you away with the assumption of "chick-flick," one should bear in mind that Fontaine has chosen to follow Gabrielle Chanel's life as it influenced her creative process. In particular, how the clothing of the various men with whom she had relations throughout her life inspired her trademark, modernist women's fashions. This should in theory keep the film devolving into overt romanticism, though admittedly, it is a very fine line for Fontaine to walk. It will be interesting to see if she successfully manages to steer the film solidly on the course of Coco the artist rather than Coco the courtier.
Coco avant Chanel will be released by Sony Pictures Classics September 29th in New York and Los Angeles as Coco Before Chanel. Official website is here.
Coco & Igor
Based on the novel by Chris Greenhalgh who also adapted his book for the screen. The film obviously departs from Coco avant Chanel as it has less to do with Coco Chanel herself, but her relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky, though their attraction toward one another remains an analogy for the theme of "passion" in a staid era.
Directed by Jan Kounan and starring Mads Mikelsen (Casino Royale) as Igor Stravinksy while Anna Mouglalis portrays Coco. As mentioned previously, Fontaine has the difficult challenge of delicately balancing Coco's romances and professional career. Kounan, on the other hand, is bringing to life a book which specifically focuses on a relationship between a man and a woman who happen to also be two significant figures in their respective fields. I am being intentionally non-descriptive as this setup could truly be about anyone, and has been seen before. What remains to be seen is if the story can distinguish itself by revealing how the love affair affected the artists. Did his time with Coco further Stravinsky's music? Did her time with Stravinsky contribute to Coco's designs? Though both were trailblazers of the early 20th century, did their romance typify the decadence of the era, or herald the end of it? Are there more conflicts for Coco beyond the period's feminine propriety and the obligatory showdown with Stravinksky's wife? Kounan certainly has just as difficult a challenge as Fontaine, perhaps moreso. Fontaine has only to keep the film on a singular course, but Kounan has many thematic paths in front him and navigating those paths toward a relevant film without losing one's way is far more difficult. The players all seem capable of the task, but many elements must fit together perfectly in order for this film to differentiate itself from any other film about a transient love affair.
The film closed the Cannes Film Festival this past May, but has yet to be scheduled for general release, though Kounan shot both a French-language and English-language version of the film.
The trailer for Universal's modern remake of one of their classic movie monsters premiered yesterday. Overall, the production design and tone of the film are accurate for the material. It is the stellar cast, however, that really sells me on this film—quality players all around. And I think that is really important for material such as this. You need performers who will deliver the gravitas of the situation convincingly. Since these stories served as allegory for the age in which they were first written, it will key to not let key themes get lost in the "monster" spectacle these types of films tend to do. So far, it seems the filmmakers of this current iteration are not shying away from the dramatic elements of the story's original incarnation. The film is due to be release February 10, 2010.
When timid eleventh-grader and math genius Kenji Koiso is asked by older student and secret crush Natsuki to come with her to her family’s Nagano home for a summer job, he agrees without hesitation. Natsuki’s family, the Jinnouchi clan, dates back to the Muromachi era, and they’ve all come together to celebrate the 90th birthday of the spunky matriarch of the family, Sakae. That’s when Kenji discovers his “summer job” is to pretend to be Natsuki’s fiancé and dance with her at the birthday celebration. As Kenji attempts to keep up with Natsuki’s act around her family, he receives a strange math problem on his cell phone which, being a math genius, he can’t resist solving. As it turns out, the solution to the mysterious equation causes a bizarre parallel world to collide with Earth, and it’s up to Kenji and his new fake family to put reality back in order.
Despite what one might believe, director HOSODA Mamoru's follow-up to the critically acclaimed The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (highly recommeded) is a bit of a rarity these days. Most anime is produced specifically for younger audiences though the image of anime abroad is "mature entertainment" rather than "kiddy fair." However, that really is a problem of perspective—a comparison of "cartoons" versus "anime." In reality, while there are anime that are certainly not meant for children, broadcast at late night time slots, the anime industry's bread & butter still come from the lighter fair broadcast during weekday and weekend primetime as well as summer film releases. Auteurs like HOSODA, MIYAZAKI or KON Satoshi, who make anime for "film lovers" are few. Though this summer like every other has seen a good number of animated films, most are feature-length episodes of popular animated TV series, even the surprisingly successful Evangelion 2.0. The budget and production schedule required for a true feature-length effort is viewed as risky. That is why it is very special indeed when a film like Summer Wars gets released. Many of the staff from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time return including scriptwriter OKUDERA Satoko and character designer SADAMOTO Yoshiyuki (Evangelion, FLCL). The film retains the stylized realism in character design that is a trademark to SADAMOTO, which incorporates well with the lush, painted backgrounds. The use of CG to represent the "parallel world" seems appropriate and remarkably does not clash with the artistic style of the film. In a time when many western production companies have turned their back on cel animation, it is probably no surprise that it is Japan that is still keeping 2D animated features alive. 3D certainly has it's place (see following), but one can only truly appreciate "animation" as the art form that it is when one can see hand illustrated characters brought to life against hand painted backgrounds.
OBLIVION ISLAND—Haruka and the Magica Mirror—
Your favourite teddy bear. That model kit that took so long to complete. The picture book you used to read over and over again. The shining stone you found that day in the park. Where do all your childhood's treasures go when you grow up? In this story, we meet fantastic creatures that gather all these little objects that fall into oblivion as they are forgotten by their owners when they step into adulthood. These creatures sneak into our world from a different dimension, and unseen by humans, they take all the ditched and forgotten "treasures" into their world. Here, they use their booty to build their own city, a fairy tale-like place called... Oblivion Island!
The story follows Haruka, as she stumbles upon this world in search of a mirror very dear to her. There, she befriends and is aided by a fox named Teo and the two embark on an incredible adventure as she also discovers the things we lose as we mature.
I believe there are two very important things one should take away from the above trailer. First, the incredible well-realized fantasy world in which Haruka falls into is something that's been missing from animated features, both from Japan and abroad, cel animated or 3DCG. Even Pixar still tends to ground their films in a solid reality, though the perspective from which they are told may be whimsical (a toy, insects, cars, a robot, etc). A setting like Oblivion Island, I believe, has yet to be seen and one has to wonder why that is. At any rate, it is wonderful to finally see what amounts to be a fairy tale realized in film narrative once more. The second point is the technical prowess on display. In my humble opinion, Production I.G. is one of the finest animation houses working today and they have turned their incredible artistry and experience in 2D animation and translated it quite brilliantly into 3D. You have to admit, despite what we've seen from the likes of Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony, etc., this film has a distinct look and feel that only an animation company like Production I.G. could deliver. I would even say that this is the natural evolution of Japanese animation's approach of cel animation to the digital medium. It is not just a re-interpretation of 2D methodology into digital, but a rethinking of how digital technology can bring to life their 2D ideas. In other words, it's still about the art and artistry. According to the company's sale sheet:
Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror will inherit the unique expressive style that has made Japanese animation hugely popular around the globe, and at the same time it will pursue a completely different texture from Western style 3DCG animation.
The film took 4 years with a staff of 200 to complete, and I think the efforts in "dedicating time and resources to the establishment of a fully equipped [3DCG] production environment" certainly shows.
Surveillance is an appropriate title for a film that is essentially about "point-of-view." As the word "surveillance" suggests, there is a scene to be observed, from which details and information can be extracted. Two Federal agents, played by Bill Pullman and Julia Ormand (pictured above) are charged with reconstructing the events surrounding a grisly crime. The narrative borrows from the storytelling device employed by Kurosawa Akira in Rashomon whereby the perspectives of characters regarding a single event begin to reveal subtle truths about the situation.
Naturally, the reaction might be to think you've seen this before, but one has to bear in mind that the director of Surveillance is Jennifer Lynch. As such, one has to expect something different and in fact, viewing the trailer reveals an ability to steer interesting and compelling characters on a collision course that superficially seems almost genetic. One other point to bear in mind is where Rashomon was primarily concerned about revealing truth from the perspectives of its protagonists, Surveillance seems to be about the lies itself, particularly what purpose obfuscating the truth serves and the impact this ultimately has for those who perpetuate them.
Stack some gruesome imagery as only a Lynch can depict on to this thematic foundation, and the final product looks to be a competent and taught thriller. View the Standard Def and High Def trailers here at Apple.
Actor Jean Reno has a special place in a lot of cineastes' hearts. He has managed to make a career playing characters with a hard edge, but who ultimately proves to be "good" at heart. He has a screen presence that is hard to ignore with a gruff voice that sells the dark cloud with the silver lining aura. It is therefore surprising that he has yet to tackle a purely villainous role. Perhaps it's a personal choice, but with is abilities and that piercing countenance, he has surely been offered such characters. It is therefore quite fortuitous to have learned of this film in which he plays the godfather of a ruthless crime syndicate in control of the underworld in Southern France.
The Malakian clan, a family of Armenian gangsters, is lead by the brilliant and violent godfather Milo Malakian who rules his world with an iron fist. His son and heir, Anton, dreams of breaking free in order to live out his love for Elodie, a clan outsider, and make his own choices. But the gang's inner circle is engraved in blood. To escape, not only does Anton have to counter his own destiny, but also the man who has sworn to bring his father down: Inspector Saunier. A struggle to the death ensues around the audacious and spectacular heist that the Malakian clan is preparing as its final job.
From this synopsis, the film seems to tread over well known themes in gangster films, especially those from Hong Kong. Regardless, the film may finally give Reno the opportunity to express some true, wicked menace, though the fatherly angle might rub away some of the charcoal of his heart to reveal that familiar "silver lining." Even in such a case, let's hope the silver is a little more tarnished this time.
The tag line says it all. We love movies. All types. More importantly, we love movies as the modern conveyors of story and myth in contemporary society. Sound high brow? Don't worry, we love a movie that only aims to entertain as much as anyone...so long as it has a story to tell. These are our thoughts about film of every genre from every part of the globe. You may agree with us; you may not. That's fine. There's plenty of movies for everyone.
This is the poster that was released during the American Film Market, currently taking place in Santa Monica, for the upcoming remake of the classic Charles Bronson thriller. We here are not the biggest fans of remakes as they are a distinct sign in the lack of faith Hollywood has in original material, even though there are so many interesting concepts out there.
