Member Gaijin84 Posted August 16 Member Share Posted August 16 Having a Peacock subscription, there is no way I won't watch this, but going in with very low expectations. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member PandaPawPaw Posted August 16 Member Share Posted August 16 On 8/15/2024 at 4:44 PM, laagi said: I couldn't help but laugh at how bad this just looks!? And also slow-mow is just so dated anymore. Her hiding behind the trolley of food at the beginning cracked me up! I don't know why but it just did! I like Slow-Mo but it's used too much in quick succession here making it look silly or reducing it's effectiveness. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member laagi Posted August 23 Member Share Posted August 23 Well ladies and gentlemen it's out and much to my own surprise to mostly favorable (initial) reviews. Anyone bother to check this out? Willing to take a bullet (pun intended) for the team? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member laagi Posted August 23 Member Share Posted August 23 From rogerebert.com, word! Quote And my biggest concern comes in the overall sunsetting of physical media and lack of curation on streaming. Want to watch the original “The Killer”? It’s not streaming for rental anywhere and costs about $50 on Blu-ray. And that means that this faded copy is now easily the most accessible, and there will certainly be people who don’t even know about the first film when they watch it. In that sense, it’s not just a remake but a replacement. And that kills me. Full review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-killer-remake-peacock-movie-review-2024 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member starschwar Posted August 23 Member Share Posted August 23 On 8/16/2024 at 12:47 PM, PandaPawPaw said: Her hiding behind the trolley of food at the beginning cracked me up! I don't know why but it just did! I like Slow-Mo but it's used too much in quick succession here making it look silly or reducing it's effectiveness. Slow-motion is fine, but what is being depicted here - it just seems to embellish the shoddy action rather than prolong cool moments or reveal less-than-obvious detail. Also, that part where the protagonist kicks the wheelchair-bound woman ahead of her - did she just put the person she's protecting in harm's way as a diversion to save herself? Wow. What a hero. Truly a compelling story of redemption, not at all a selfish coward. Also, what is the point of screwing on silencers after unsuppressed gunfire has begun? I'm not asking for Tom Clancy / Michael Mann realism in a John Woo movie, but I really don't see the logic of "going silent" once everybody has heard gunshots. Whatever this movie is, this is not The Killer! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted August 25 Member Share Posted August 25 I had an amazing time with this! John Woo gives us full on whimsy while keeping the action blood soaked and fun. The two leads are smooth, slick and sexy, just the way you want them and the plot, while light and breezy, managers to bolster the film well. This ain’t Shakespeare but who wants it to be!? Woo knew what he wanted to make: a tongue-in-cheek popcorn flick that’s cheesy but not too cheesy. It’s honestly quite refreshing and a nice break from the gritty action landscape of today. Natalie Emmanuel is superb and, much like Woo, gets the assignment. She looks good during the action scenes and her stunt double puts in work when it comes to the hand to hand stuff. She ends up looking like a formidable force. Sam Worthington is a good, is paper thin, villain. And there are squibs!! Praise the lord! There’s CGI gunshots too, but there are plenty of practical squibs and it’s fucking awesome. Really enjoyed this and will definitely watch it again in the future. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Frank Bolte Posted August 25 Member Share Posted August 25 I thought this might be a good movie for people that havent seen the original... I watched it and didnt care too much about it...the chemestry between Danny Lee and Chow Yun Fat was unique and cant be copied... theres a certain romantic, sadness and melancholy that cant be replicated maybe people will be interested to watch the original...I mean this will be watched by a lot of people that are not into HK Movies so for them this might be a great movie..... ah well I didnt expect anything when I watched it..so I wasnt disappointed..I didnt really needed a remake anyway 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member PandaPawPaw Posted August 25 Member Share Posted August 25 (edited) I've watched 25mins so far and................. Plus I'll be watching Crow Salvation after it............................. Edited August 25 by PandaPawPaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member PandaPawPaw Posted August 25 Member Share Posted August 25 (edited) This was a chore to get through! At 2hrs long, I zoned out a few times. The film felt a bit weird in how it's shot at times and I'm not sure why that is exactly though I noticed it more in the beginning. The main leads have little to zero chemistry and Nathalie can't act for shit. She's pretty much the same in every role I have seen her in. Her role as the hitman felt forced as did the classic stand off scene which felt rather lame. She does look great in leather trousers though.................. There are some good bits and pieces of action here and there but the gun action is pretty boring and gets kind of tedious after a while. While the action is stylised, it's all quite dull. Same goes for the dialogue which is forgettable. There is a scene where she's on an electric bike tying to catchup to the bad guys which is funny in itself but the funniest thing was the size of her stunt doubles helmet! It was void of any emotion of any reason to give a shit about the characters. The Sally Yeh role isn't powerful like the OG and I gave no shit about the girl in this. Same goes for Sam Worthington who was just there. It did at times feel like a bad parody of the original and the whistling music got on my nerves. Did I enjoy anything? Nathalie does do pretty good in a fight scene near the and I loved seeing both Tchéky Karyo and Saïd Taghmaoui pop up who I both like. I agree with @Frank Bolte that this will probably appeal to peeps who haven't seen the OG and in turn (hopefully) lead them to see that too. Edited August 25 by PandaPawPaw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted August 25 Member Share Posted August 25 I watched the film Friday night and while it's clear it's not going to live up to the original, I felt Woo blended his brand of action with the likes of a Melville film if it were to be set in today's world. Nathalie Emmanuel I was a bit hesitant about but she actually did pretty good IMO and one of my favorite scenes was the interrogation scene with Omar Sy. While we had to wait over an hour for them to finally cross paths, they had their own brand of chemistry. I can only guess Aurelia Agel decided not to do The Last Kumite to work with John Woo (she was cast in the role ultimately played by Mounia Moula) and I liked her fight against Emmanuel. There is one particular visual I absolutely loved but I won't spoil it for those who have yet to see it. Eric Cantona surprised me as he brought a bit of charm to his role as crime boss Gobert and yes Tcheky Karyo was a delight as Tessier, the clothier who serves as a somewhat "spiritual mentor" to Zee. I would say a solid B in my opinion as a reimagining as it will always be compared to the 1989 original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted August 26 Member Share Posted August 26 21 hours ago, AlbertV said: I would say a solid B in my opinion as a reimagining as it will always be compared to the 1989 original. I find this to be the most frustrating criticism people have about the film - "It's not as good as the original!" Yes, but what is? The Killer is unbelievably good. A tried and true classic. Some could argue it's the best action film ever made (I certainly would). But John Woo has evolved. He's not in that stage of his life anymore. He's creating different art altogether. Should he has remade his classic? Perhaps not. But we should stop saying films are shit because they're not as good as the original. We should critique them as a unique piece of art. To me, the new The Killer almost felt like John Woo's attempt at a comic book movie at times. It's so "light." He's directing it with a wink and a smile. It's new. It's fresh. I like it a lot. But then I also don't have the criticisms some people have about the film. I think Emmanuel is great in the film and a stellar lead. I think she's a strong performer in this one, even if her character doesn't have a ton of depth. I also think there is chemistry between the two leads and the interrogation scene you mentioned is a standout. But hey, we can't all think the same or esle the world would be boring. I'm glad you liked it though, Albert. Nice to know I'm not alone! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted August 26 Member Share Posted August 26 And I have a good feeling Aurelia Agel opted to do this instead of The Last Kumite. She was supposed to play the Lea Martin character eventually played by Mounia Moula. Her fight against Emmanuel was a highlight IMO. Using a meshing of kickboxing, MMA, and even a dash of wushu in her arsenal. I hope we get to see more of her in future roles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DiP Posted August 27 Author Member Share Posted August 27 (edited) Managed to watch it on a private streaming site yesterday. I kinda knew what I dived into but honestly, this wasn't bad at all. Far from violent, dark, and tragic like the original but more light and comic. In many ways, the movie reminded me of Once a Thief but minus the slap-sticky comedy. Everything was very fun. The chemistry between Emmanuel and Sy, the villains, the storytelling, the action scenes (a combo of old and new Woo), and the scenery. Will John Woo ever make a movie that will match his classics from the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s? Maybe not anymore but what he still has the eye for making energetic action scenes. Let's all appreciate him being active in making movies while he still can, and respect his decisions on whatever he wants to make next. Edited August 27 by DiP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member JJBINKS Posted August 27 Member Share Posted August 27 I think people don't like the reason behind getting film made.Which is just 2 have a black woman star in film..It 's not about wether they r talented. Any black woman would do as that's the big selling point. I am still wanting them to remake boyz n the hood with gangsta grannies going up against the the gangsta grandads in a turf war. With easy listening music soundtrack by Cliff Richard.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted August 27 Member Share Posted August 27 12 minutes ago, JJBINKS said: I think people don't like the reason behind getting film made.Which is just 2 have a black woman star in film..It 's not about wether they r talented. Any black woman would do as that's the big selling point. Where's your logic? In what world does a black, female lead bring audiences in more than, say, a white female lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member JJBINKS Posted August 27 Member Share Posted August 27 2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: Where's your logic? In what world does a black, female lead bring audiences in more than, say, a white female lead? The logic is they replaced 1 black woman with another black woman.So 2 me they were only really considering a black woman 4 main star.It's just for novelty.Mayb they were thinking about the black comunity like with black panther.There r alot of gangsta rappers who r influenced by hong kong action films.So mayb they feel hong kong action films have big appeal to black community.. I've no idea why they felt it was good idea but that appears 2b twist they hung film on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted August 27 Member Share Posted August 27 26 minutes ago, JJBINKS said: The logic is they replaced 1 black woman with another black woman.So 2 me they were only really considering a black woman 4 main star.It's just for novelty.Mayb they were thinking about the black comunity like with black panther.There r alot of gangsta rappers who r influenced by hong kong action films.So mayb they feel hong kong action films have big appeal to black community.. I've no idea why they felt it was good idea but that appears 2b twist they hung film on. I can't argue with you there. You may actually be right. It defiitely feels like they were looking for a black, female lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted August 27 Member Share Posted August 27 1 hour ago, Drunken Monk said: I can't argue with you there. You may actually be right. It defiitely feels like they were looking for a black, female lead. Well, originally it was supposed to have been Lupita Nyogo'o before Nathalie Emmanuel took over the role. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted August 30 Member Share Posted August 30 Surprisingly, I didn't hate this remake nearly as much as I thought I would, though it still seemed that way early on. Really, the only major flaw of this movie is its connection to the original classic, I do still think The Killer (1989) is an untouchable classic and should never have been even discussed for a remake, not even by the master himself. Simply put, as a remake, it sucks. I have nothing good to say about the idea of changing race, gender, and nationality of the characters. However, if you ignore the fact that you're watching The Killer remake, this is more than a very decent and quite enjoyable Euro thriller with some, dare I say, great action. As a John Woo movie, it easily beats Manhunt and Silent Night. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 4 Moderator Share Posted September 4 I think I fall most closely into @Super Ninja's camp with this one. It wasn't the car crash it could have been, and while there's glimpses of some vintage Woo, there's also a lot of Woo's worst tendencies on show as well (plus it ticks the post-2010 box of ensuring his daughter shows up in every movie he makes!). I gave it the full review treatment over at COF - https://cityonfire.com/the-killer-2024-review-john-woo-peacock-remake-review-omar-sy-nathalie-emmanuel/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member ChillyChong Posted September 4 Member Share Posted September 4 Is there doves in Killer 2024? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator One Armed Boxer Posted September 4 Moderator Share Posted September 4 1 hour ago, ChillyChong said: Is there doves in Killer 2024? Pigeons are the dominant avian species in the remake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member PandaPawPaw Posted September 4 Member Share Posted September 4 2 hours ago, One Armed Boxer said: Pigeons are the dominant avian species in the remake. But also kinda dumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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