Film: Old Woman Killer
Directors: Ethan Cohen, Joel Cohen
Starring: Tom Hanks, Irma Hall, Marlon Waynes, J. K. Simmons, Ma Zhi
Country of production: United States
Date: March 26, 2004
Archaeological Causes: 14th Anniversary of Screening
In 2004, the movie "Old Woman Killer" was released.
It tells the story of an American aunt who single-handedly got the "gang robber".
This is a rare remake of the Coen brothers' films.
And the flip is not bad.
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01. Robber melee, big mom lying wins
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Mrs. Manson is an elderly man living alone, and the only person who accompanies her on a daily basis is the cat Pixar.
She was kind and kind, full of great wisdom, and a devout believer.
△ Mrs. Manson in the movie "Old Woman Killer"
One day, a man who called himself Professor Higginson took his small band of five to Mrs. Manson's house to rent a room.
They borrowed Mrs. Manson's basement and pretended to rehearse church songs, actually planning to cut a hole in the ground from here that would lead to the casino's underground vault.
△ Tom Hanks is worthy of the film emperor, and the cunning professor is interpreted in the slightest
In order to complete this difficult task, Professor Higginson invited all kinds of crappy gods.
Generals who dig tunnels, prop makers on the advertising set, silly football players, black people who work in casinos.
Formed a team that looked very unprofessional.
Unexpectedly, their plan was able to succeed in a vacuum.
△ In the movie "Old Woman Killer", several different thieves formed a very comedic team
As the brothers toasted to the table full of banknotes, imagining the future, Mrs. Manson discovered their secret.
In order not to alarm the police, they decided to kill the old lady.
However, stealing chickens does not become a corrosion of rice, or infighting or coincidence, people are not killed, and a few stupid thieves have put their own lives in it.
Mrs. Manson did nothing but pick up a large sum of money.
△ In the movie "Old Woman Killer", every time a person dies, the accomplice throws his body on the garbage boat
The film is a remake of the 1955 film Dr. Thief.
Although the overall standard is lower than the Coen Brothers' other films, it does not prevent it from being a successful remake.
It not only retains the essence of the original work, but also gives the brothers a unique color.
△ The movie "Dr. Thief" is a British film with a unique British cold humor
02. Old Woman Killer vs Dr. Thief
Remaking classics is a creative method that many filmmakers like.
On the basis of the original work, decomposition, reorganization, re-creation, to inject new connotations into the old things.
In the 1850s, when the movie "Doctor Thief" was filmed, Hollywood was still the hegemon of the world film market.
So Mrs. Manson, the police officer, and the thieves in the movie are all white people.
△ Several of the thieves in the movie "Dr. Thief" are white
With the expansion of the film market in Asia and other places, the box office contribution rate soared, and Hollywood began to deliberately cater to the preferences of these regional filmmakers.
In 2004's "Old Woman Killer", the director added black and Asian actor elements to form the most popular "multi-racial combination" model in Hollywood today.
It not only caters to the aesthetic expectations of audiences in different countries, increases box office revenue, but also makes the role more diverse.
The protagonist, Mrs. Manson, has also changed from a skinny old English lady to a now muscular black aunt.
In "Dr. Thief", Mrs. Manson is a skinny Old English Lady
Throughout the Coen Brothers' work, from the long debut "Blood Labyrinth" to "Ice Storm" to the later "Burn After Reading", group drama is often the main part.
Compared with "Dr. Thief", "Old Woman Killer" is more modern and interesting in the group character setting.
In "Dr. Thief", four thieves appear together, the character characteristics are not obvious, the personality is flat, and it is a typical supporting role.
In "Old Woman Killer", in order to enrich the image of each character, the director specially introduced the profession and personality of each member.
Although it is still a supporting role, it has become flesh and blood, and it is no longer just a symbol.
The Japanese officer of Asian descent, cold-faced and majestic, the gangster who robbed the shop was vulnerable in front of him, and was the leader of the digging hole.
△ Asian Japanese officer
The bald man is a third-rate prop master, around a dog, can't understand it, and finally chokes the dog alive.
There are not enough things to be done, and there are more than enough failures.
Silly big man is an American football player, with a large muscle on his body, but even ordinary players can't beat it.
In addition, it is also unfavorable to say that it is not good, giving people the feeling of being mentally retarded.
The black boy is a hippie who works in a casino, is almost fired by his boss, and is known as the "inside line".
Full of foul language, as soon as they met, they were beaten up by Mrs. Manson.
△ Baldness also has a third-rate propster for gastrointestinal diseases and a black man who plays miscellaneously
The standards of these four people are uneven, but when combined, they achieve the effect of "optimizing the combination of inferior products", which is both practical and funny.
Everyone plays their own calculations, thinking that they can control the overall situation and get an extra piece of the pie, but in the end, they become cannon fodder in this farce, making wedding dresses for others.
In addition, the black humor component in the film is also a highlight of the film's remake.
At the beginning of the film, there is a garbage island floating on the sea, which is obviously a dirty place, but there is a sense of absurd sacredness.
This is something that was not found in the older version of the film.
△ Floating on the surface of the sea, a garbage island like paradise
The bodies of several robbers were not thrown onto a passing train, as in "Doctor Thief".
Instead, through the garbage boats that have been driven under the bridge, they have been transported to the garbage mountain like a holy place, and the irony is evident.
△ In the movie "Doctor Thief", the bodies of thieves are thrown on the train
△ In the movie "Old Woman Killer", the garbage boat that constantly passes under the bridge has become a tool for transporting corpses
In addition, the death methods of several thieves have become even more bizarre in "Old Woman Killer".
In the movie "Dr. Thief", although several people died by coincidence, they were all reasonable.
In "Old Woman Killer", everyone's death is unclear, and the details are set up, which is very interesting.
Such as the death of a Japanese officer.
Mrs. Manson would not allow him to smoke in the house, so whenever he saw Mrs. Manson, he always turned the cigarette butt into his mouth and hid it.
When a Japanese officer attempts to murder Mrs. Manson, he is suddenly startled by an alarm clock and accidentally swallows the cigarette.
In a hurry, he stumbled all the way and finally fell directly to his death.
A small action that led directly to his death.
On the wall, a portrait of Mrs. Manson's husband, with a look of mockery in her eyes, like a prophet, watching a few stupid thieves cocoon themselves.
△ In the movie "Old Woman Killer", the portrait of Mrs. Manson's husband appears many times
The Coen brothers used the brothers' signature black humor to reinforce the absurdity of the story in the old movie.
With both the characteristics of the times and the personal style, it is a good remake.
There are many more such movies.
For example, the classic film "Twelve Angry Men" in 1957 has been remade in the United States, Russia and even China, and each remake has become a classic of the times.
△ The three "Twelve Angry Men", the American version, the Russian version, and the Chinese version, are all good films
Another example is "The True Colors of Heroes", a remake of the 1967 film of the same name.
On the basis of the original story, director Wu Yusen integrated the underworld reality of Hong Kong at that time, coupled with his unique aesthetic of violence, which became a classic of Hong Kong films and became popular throughout Asia.
△ The picture of Zhou Runfa lighting a cigarette with counterfeit money in "The True Colors of Heroes" has become a classic in the history of movies
Of course, there are also unsatisfactory examples.
The movie "Murder on the Orient Express", released in 2017, was criticized for being too prominent in the protagonist and insufficient portrayal of group portraits.
△ The 1974 edition of "Murder on the Orient Express" is mainly based on group portraits depicting suspects, which is close to the novel
△ The 2017 version of "Murder on the Orient Express" mainly portrays the detective
But it is undeniable that its special effects synthesis and picture texture have been greatly improved compared with the 1974 version.
The storytelling method is also closer to the "big protagonist mode" that commercial films like.
From the perspective of the great detective Poirot, he forcefully and quickly led the audience into the state of solving the case and solving the problem, guiding everyone to find the answer step by step and solve the puzzle.
The final judgment session, similar to the composition of Da Vinci's "The Last Supper", is very brilliant.
△ The final cracking composition of the 2017 version of "Murder on the Orient Express", all suspects are lined up, much like "The Last Supper"
As a suspenseful commercial film, it was a success.
It's just that the pearls and jade are in the front, the classics are too deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the posterity has changed, and controversy is inevitable.
In short, these "refurbished" films are a comprehensive product of a certain period and a certain director's style characteristics.
For better or worse, it is inevitably imprinted with the mark of the times.
In the end, it will be precipitated in history for future generations to evaluate.