The Hollywood Reporter is trying to ruin my day, claiming that Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant is being re-made by Werner Herzog, with Nicolas Cage stepping into the role already owned by Harvey Keitel.
But it couldn’t possibly be true. Cage would know better than to ruin (*cough* Wings of Desire *cough*) an already legendary movie (*cough*The Wicker Man*cough) by creating a mediocre imitation… right?
And what will Herzog, with his particular worldview, do with that profoundly spiritual conclusion?
(via Cinematical)
No offense, but I don’t understand it when people get upset about a remake. After all, the original film isn’t going anywhere.
That said, I liked Bad Lieutenant…sort of. I really don’t know how I feel about it. The conclusion certainly was something special, I’ll give you that. If the remake was being directed by someone like Brett Ratner and starring Keanu Reeves, I might be rolling my eyes a bit more. But Herzog and Cage are interesting and eccentric artists (however inconsistent they may be), so I’m mildly intrigued.
The original is one of the most potent films about spirituality I’ve ever seen. It is also quite an uncomfortable experience. There is no doubt in our minds just how “bad” this man is -which makes his decision at the end so much more profound: we *cannot* believe such a man would do anything so redemptive.
I agree that the remake changes none of this, but you have to wonder… WHY? Werner Herzog, who is one of our most important storytellers, surely has better things to do with his time than put a new spin on someone else’s work.
Considering how painful some of the scenes from the original are, I wonder how faithful a remake will be. Do they intend to distribute it to multiplexes?
I understand what you’re saying, wngl, but let’s not forget that some of Shakespeare’s finest plays were simply new spins on other people’s work. If Herzog is doing this, he has a reason, and all I’m saying is that we should reserve judgment until we see what that reason is. It could indeed be a pale imitation of Ferrera’s masterpiece, but who knows? It could end up being a masterpiece in its own right.