John Woo Still Hoping To Remake ‘Le Samourai’…and ‘The Killer’?
John Woois in the middle of whatmightbe a renaissance. It’s too early to really make that call, but he’s more active now in the wake ofRed Cliffthan he’s been in the past few years. And more active with interesting projects — if you haven’t seenRed Cliffit is definitely worth the time;Reign of Assassinslooks promising; and there’s the IMAX filmFlying Tigersthat Woo ispreparing to make.
But the spectre of trouble looms. AVarietypiece on the director announces that “Woo is hoping to line up A-list talent for his English-language remakes of two hugely influential action films”:Le Samouraiand his ownThe Killer.
TheLe Samourairemakeisn’t a new thing. Woo has long praisedJean-Pierre Melville’s classic, cool gangster film as one of his greatest influences. But I keep hoping that the urge to remake it would subside, and that he would concentrate on projects of his own. Woo’s style is the antithesis of Melville’s, and him directly remakingLe Samouraiseems like a ridiculous prospect. He’s already done the closest thing to his own version by channeling his fandom through the landmark series of Hong Kong films that spansA Better TomorrowthroughHard Boiled.
Right in the middle of that span is the mostLe Samourai-like film of Woo’s:The Killer. That’s almost a more ridiculous remake prospect, but there it is. Variety makes it sound as if Woo might direct, which is mind-boggling. (Remember when he remade his ownOnce a Thieffor TV? No? There’s a reason.) Walter Hill went through several drafts of a possible remake years ago, and more recently John H. Lee has been attached to an American version. Those ideas are bad enough. (I love Walter Hill, don’t get me wrong, but…) Woo remakingThe Killerwould achieve…what? I honestly don’t know.
