REVENGAAA! There is nothing more classic in cinema, or in all of human nature as a matter of fact, than revenge. And nobody does revenge like Korean filmmakers. Films like Oldboy and Lady Vengeance are so twisted that they loop back around to becoming brilliant and poetic.
So when The Wrap wrap-orted that Adi Shankar (producer of Dredd) & Spencer Silna (producer of The Grey) have acquired the rights to make an English remake of I Saw The Devil, I was a mixed bag of emotions. If you are unfamiliar with the film, it’s a very basic premise. The pregnant wife of a secret agent gets murdered and chopped to bits by a serial killer. The agent hunts down the serial killer and tortures him to the point of near death, and then lets him go. Rinse and repeat through the whole film. Just like a predator playing with his food.
So in terms of remaking this film, sure, I can get behind that. Of course, with the recent Oldboy remake meeting a lukewarm reception amongst critics, it makes me kind of worried about this film. This is what Shankar told The Wrap:
“Kim Jee-Woon’s ’I Saw the Devil’ is perfect in so many ways. The intention is not to remake the film per se, but rather to ‘port’ it for international audiences.”
That statement seems a little absurd to be honest. If you’re just going to port it, then port it. Why go through a whole production for an adaptation, if you’re not going to take some artistic liberties with it? Normally, I would say this is a cash grab, but I Saw The Devil isn’t widely known among the average movie goers. They obviously found a lot of potential there, but instead of going in to a different direction with it, they’re just playing the same song with a different band. But hey, I always like to point out whenever I write about remakes of international films being in the talks, the main argument to me will always be Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. Even though that is a remake on the masterpiece Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, they both were phenomenal in their own right. But then again… not everyone is Martin Scorsese.
So fellow OOUies, where do you stand on this issue? Whatever it is, comment below, and let One of Us know!
Via The Wrap
