This is yet another one of the current slew of trashy hollywood remakes. Incase you did not know that this is, infact, a remake, of the French Noir classic "Bob le flambeur".
They took a very stylish, very charming new wave french crime film, that was made on a shoe string budget, and threw lots of money at it, and added lots of T&A, drugs, transsexuals, techno music and, oh yes, a zombie-like Nick Nolte.
Part of the charm of the original, was that on an extremely low budget, Jean-Pierre Melville created a very stylish, classy, and all around cool film. It took him 4 years to make it, simply because he had to keep stopping to raise more money.
This new film had too much money for its own good. Part of the charm of the original was that it was shot guerilla style with very little money.
And why on earth did they make Bob a DRUG ADDICT!? what the hell?!?!?! The whole POINT was that Bob was the old, wise, COOL guy. Now he's this old mumbling heroin addict. They added lots of drug use, WHY? They added a transsexual, for comic relief, WHY? and they replaced the really cool old score with dance music and lounge jazz....WHY?!
----spoiler alert----
and for the love of god....by far, the worst change
THEY GAVE IT A HAPPY ENDING!!!!?!??!
what the hell?!?!?! Paulo is supposed to get SHOT! because he's an IDIOT! and even worse...Bob is supposed to go to JAIL!
----end of spoiler----
anyway....I can possibly understand every once and a while remaking and updating an old film. Not to replace a classic, but to stand next to it. This film does not deserve to have any relation to Jean Pierre Melville at all.
If you want to see a decent remake of Bob le Flambeur, see Paul Thomas Anderson's "Syndey", admittedly directly inspired by "Bob". Or, just stick with the original.
They took a very stylish, very charming new wave french crime film, that was made on a shoe string budget, and threw lots of money at it, and added lots of T&A, drugs, transsexuals, techno music and, oh yes, a zombie-like Nick Nolte.
Part of the charm of the original, was that on an extremely low budget, Jean-Pierre Melville created a very stylish, classy, and all around cool film. It took him 4 years to make it, simply because he had to keep stopping to raise more money.
This new film had too much money for its own good. Part of the charm of the original was that it was shot guerilla style with very little money.
And why on earth did they make Bob a DRUG ADDICT!? what the hell?!?!?! The whole POINT was that Bob was the old, wise, COOL guy. Now he's this old mumbling heroin addict. They added lots of drug use, WHY? They added a transsexual, for comic relief, WHY? and they replaced the really cool old score with dance music and lounge jazz....WHY?!
----spoiler alert----
and for the love of god....by far, the worst change
THEY GAVE IT A HAPPY ENDING!!!!?!??!
what the hell?!?!?! Paulo is supposed to get SHOT! because he's an IDIOT! and even worse...Bob is supposed to go to JAIL!
----end of spoiler----
anyway....I can possibly understand every once and a while remaking and updating an old film. Not to replace a classic, but to stand next to it. This film does not deserve to have any relation to Jean Pierre Melville at all.
If you want to see a decent remake of Bob le Flambeur, see Paul Thomas Anderson's "Syndey", admittedly directly inspired by "Bob". Or, just stick with the original.