02-18-2010, 04:01 PM
I'm fairly certain that this movie was brought up a few times here and at the old site. It's from Michael Haneke, the director of Funny Games and The White Ribbon (current foreign film darling of the Academy). It is one of my favorites in recent years. It's a real head scratcher, and doesn't have a clean Hollywood ending, but it is one of those films that will make you ask tons of questions and stays with you for years. I could go on and on about possible explanations and needles in haystacks, just like Mulholland Drive, but it's best left up to the viewer to let his/her imagination take over.
Anyway, this wasn't at all intended to be a review of this film. I just read (link) that Scorsese currently has a project in development for a remake which should come out in 2011. I'm not sure I understand this at all from a creative standpoint. Why is he obsessed with remakes all of a sudden? In case anyone didn't know, The Departed was also a remake of Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs, but that project made a lot of sense at the time and the end result was superior to the original. I can't imagine how the original could be improved with a Hollywood cast and snappy dialogue, not even slightly. The entire look and feel of the film just doesn't appear to be a good fit for Scorsese's style.
Anyway, judge for yourselves. Watch the original before it is forgotten, and Hollywood puts the story through the wringer and serves it up for a safe Oscar in 2 years.
Anyway, this wasn't at all intended to be a review of this film. I just read (link) that Scorsese currently has a project in development for a remake which should come out in 2011. I'm not sure I understand this at all from a creative standpoint. Why is he obsessed with remakes all of a sudden? In case anyone didn't know, The Departed was also a remake of Hong Kong film called Infernal Affairs, but that project made a lot of sense at the time and the end result was superior to the original. I can't imagine how the original could be improved with a Hollywood cast and snappy dialogue, not even slightly. The entire look and feel of the film just doesn't appear to be a good fit for Scorsese's style.
Anyway, judge for yourselves. Watch the original before it is forgotten, and Hollywood puts the story through the wringer and serves it up for a safe Oscar in 2 years.