A few years ago I took a film class which required a presentation. Basically, you’d show a scene of a film and then talk about it for 5 minutes. Looking through my DVD shelf, I decided to show the class a short clip from Géla Babluani’s first feature, a crime thriller titled 13 Tzameti. At the time, it was a fairly low-key film but I can tell you that the scene peaked a whole lot of interest and for weeks after the fact, my DVD made the rounds to a whole lot of my fellow students.
Babluani’s film is about a young man who finds some cryptic instructions and heads out on an adventure that will likely make him a whole lot of money but he doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into until he arrives at a delapedated house and discovers that he’s become involved in a game of Russian roulette. The film makes some observations on the lengths people will go to for entertainment, the lengths some will take to survive and the dire situation of immigrants and though some of these themes are handled better than others, the film’s magnetic scene of round one is a crowning achievement in tension.
It was only a matter of time before it happened but the wait is over. Screen Daily reports that Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Sam Riley and 50 Cent will all be appearing in the remake, simply titled 13, that will also be directed by Babluani (another director reamking his own film for an American audience). I can’t quite figure out what roles Rourke (the organizer?), Statham (the master of the game?) and 50 Cent (??) will play but I have a nagging feeling that Sam Riley (who was brilliant in last year’s Control) will play the lead role which was orinigally filled by the director’s brother.
Considering the original wasn’t exactly a box office success, it doens’t appear to have played outside of the festival circuit in the US, chances are most people will be coming to it fresh. Though on the one hand I think the original trailer, which featured the film’s best scene, was a brilliant way to capture the audience’s attention, I’m hopefull that the Americanized version avoids using it in the trailer and saves it as a savoury surprise for film goers. I doubt it but a girl can hope.
As for those looking to catch up with the original, the film was released on DVD by Palm Pictures. To see what I’m talking about, be sure to check out the trailer under the seat.
This discussion currently has 2 responses.
October 21, 2008
lost all interest when I read “50 Cent” and “Jason Statham”
plus the original movie is so good, i’m not really in need of a remake.
October 21, 2008
Can’t people just watch Hostel if they want to see what a crappy remake of this film would look like?