I’ve of two minds about this film.
On the one hand, I respect the feelings of purists; goodness, I’m one of them.
On the other hand, we must acknowledge the march of time, and changing styles.
Onward, then:
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Directors don’t often remake their own films, although notable exceptions exist: Cecil B. DeMille (The 10 Commandments, 1923 and ’56), Frank Capra (Lady for a Day and Pocketful of Miracles, 1933 and ’61), Alfred Hitchcock (The Man Who Knew Too Much, 1934 and ’56), George Sluizer (The Vanishing, 1988 and ’93), and Michael Mann (L.A. Takedown and Heat, 1989 and ’95) leap to mind.
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| Veteran cop Sey (Omar Sy) may think that he has the handcuffed Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel) under control, but he reckons not with her cunning, quick wit and lightning-fast resourcefulness. |
When asked about his two versions of Man Who Knew Too Much by fellow filmmaker François Truffaut, in the latter’s influential 1966 book-length interview, Hitchcock/Truffaut, the Master of Suspense immodestly replied, “Let’s say the first version is the work of a talented amateur, and the second was made by a professional.”
The same can be said of Woo’s two cracks at The Killer. This new version boasts Mauro Fiore’s vastly superior cinematography, and is a brighter, sharper “daytime experience,” as opposed to the original’s grainier, dingier “nighttime look.” The split-screen touches and cleverly presented flashbacks also are quite cool.
The new film’s gender switch is a novel touch. Scripters Brian Helgeland, Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken also modified and expanded Woo’s 1989 screenplay, making the plot more relevant to real-world events, and altering interpersonal dynamics in ways that definitely improve the story. It’s easier to like these characters.
(Although ... should we?)
The original’s brooding, almost overwhelming atmosphere of Shakespearean tragedy has been replaced with a greater sense of fun and dark humor, which likely will play better with modern audiences.
However...
Woo’s longtime fans are certain to decry the loss of that relentless sense of foreboding, and with justification. More crucially, this new version lacks the breathless, chaotic energy of the first film’s multiple melees, chases, and mano a mano face-offs. The stunt work may be cleaner and more inventively edited here — credit for the latter to Zach Staenberg — but only a handful of sequences possess the thrilling, balls-to-the-wall mayhem that occurred more than half a dozen times in the original, which — let’s not forget — put Woo on the cinematic map.
That’s a shame.
(However, we do get a welcome reprise of the tense, straight-armed handgun pas de deux between the two primary characters, which is so iconic in the first film)
The setting has been moved to France, where Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel) works as an assassin for Jules Gobert (Eric Cantona), regarded as the “Godfather of Paris.” Her go-between — who delivers the assignments — is Finn (Sam Worthington), a dapper Irishman who seems more father figure than associate. He frequently refers to her as his Cushla Machree, Gaelic for “darling of my heart.”
He also ensures that her assignments are “righteous.”
They always meet in a dilapidated, unconsecrated church, filled with the white doves that have long been one of Woo’s signatures. (Zee always lights a candle for each person she kills.)
“Does he deserve this death?” she asks, each time.
“Yes,” he replies.
Zee lives in an attractive apartment that she shares only with her beloved goldfish, dubbed Why (to go with Zee, she later explains). She works the New York Times crossword puzzle — never able to finish — and routinely eats takeout shawarma.
Elsewhere, veteran cops Sey (Omar Sy) and his partner Jax (Grégory Montel) are shadowing bad boy Coco (Hugo Diego Garcia), believing him somehow involved with the theft of an epic amount of heroin. The drugs were transported to Paris in a private plane belonging to Prince Majeb bin Faheem (Saïd Taghmaoui), the insufferably privileged scion of the Saudi royal family.
Who, when later questioned, naturally claims diplomatic immunity.
Zee’s first assignment, more or less reprising the nasty initial skirmish in the 1989 film, involves slaying everybody in the private room of an upscale nightclub, on a given evening. “Nobody gets out of the room alive,” Finn insists.
Supervising stunt coordinator Gregg Smrz earns his pay for this breathtakingly violent and acrobatic melee (another Woo signature), which has unexpected collateral damage: an American singer named Jenn (Diana Silvers), who hits her head in a way that prompts blindness. Despite Finn’s instructions, Zee cannot bring herself to kill the young woman. (Clearly, she does not deserve this death.)
Ah, but this decision infuriates Gobert, who insists that Zee finish the job properly. And when it turns out that Jenn is connected to Coco, Sey and Zee’s orbits begin to collide.
Despite her small stature, Emmanuel is thoroughly convincing as the clinical, methodical and merciless Zee. She radiates quietly mocking menace when necessary, but also has a softer side that emerges mostly in Jenn’s presence; she’s a disquieting reminder of Zee’s own younger days.
Emmanuel also brightens in the presence of Tessier (Tchéky Karyo), the premier tailor of bespoke suits for the Paris underworld, and a loyal friend to Zee. Karyo is marvelous as this refined gentleman, and he’s a much kinder and heartfelt father figure to Zee, than Finn; she cherishes him equally.
The formidable and breathtakingly charismatic Sy is terrific as this rebellious and hard-charging cop. He has been around too long, and witnessed too much, to worry about obeying standard protocols in the midst of a crisis that could affect innocent civilians. But Sey isn’t dour, like his 1989 counterpart; Sy, blessed with the world’s most radiant smile, grants the man a mischievous sense of humor, along with (eventually) grudging respect for Zee’s, ah, lethal talents.
Finn is a man of hidden layers. He’s obviously devoted to Zee, but apparently only to a point; Worthington’s flinty smile seems superficial, and — when in Gobert’s presence — clearly contemptuous in a way he dare not express.
Cantona makes Gobert a suitably hissable villain, and Taghmaoui’s Prince Faheem is appropriately condescending (and deserving of whatever fate befalls him). Aurélia Agel and Woo’s daughter, Angeles Woo, pop up in the third act as Juliet and Chi Mai, additional members of Finn’s assassination squad; both are suitably intimidating.
Everything builds to a sensational climax (at last!) which, as was the case originally, takes place in the same church. If not quite up to the 1989 film’s standards, it gets damn close.
Woo’s fans and action film purists are certain to argue the point, but this new Killer is sharply crafted, well acted, and quite entertaining.
That said, it’s also hyper-violent; the faint of heart are advised to steer clear.
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