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Try To Ignore The Cliches

By TK | Posted Under Trailers | Comments (9)

vengeance2.jpg

“In a city without laws, there’s nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose.”

Ugh.

Taglines like that are movie-killers, if you ask me. It’s so painfully trite and derivative that it makes film buffs shy away from the theaters. It certainly turned me off.

What am I talking about? Below is the trailer for Vengeance, directed by Johnny To (Exiled, Election), the Hong Kong director’s first English-language film. At first glance, it looks like yet another Death Wish knock-off: An ordinary man’s family is killed, he hunts down the killers. However, it apparently played extremely well at Cannes and even drew some parallels to Eastwood’s Unforgiven. It’s apparently an unflinching revenge flick, with the added dynamic of the professional hitmen that he hires to help him out.

Of course, the rest of the world has already seen it, but it’s due out in “selected theaters” later this year in the U.S… meaning that there’ll be a half-dozen theaters throughout the east and west coast that might get it, and anyone that lives within 1000 miles of the Mississippi is screwed.

Well, it’s coming from IFC, so at least you’ll probably be able to catch it On-Demand.









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Comments

directed by Johnny To (Exiled, Election), the Hong Kong director’s first English-language film.
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In Chinese, that's "Erection," no?

I'd see a movie called "Erection" in any language.

Posted by: , at August 16, 2010 9:17 AM

like most movies these days...i'll wait until i can download it

Posted by: splinter at August 16, 2010 9:55 AM

What you don't mention is that it's starring Johnny fucking Hallyday - the French equivalent to Elvis (only he's still alive and kicking).

Posted by: space oddity at August 16, 2010 10:04 AM

What you don't mention is that it's starring Johnny fucking Hallyday - the French equivalent to Elvis (only he's still alive and kicking).

Alive and kicking? In that trailer he looked like a reanimated corpse. I'd say it's hard to be a "legendary actor" when your face looks like an overstretched scrotum.

He's not even the French equivalent of Elvis.

Elvis was a world-wide star. No one outside of France has even heard one of Johnny's records, let alone bought one.

If anything, he's the French Cliff Richard.

Posted by: Simon at August 16, 2010 11:06 AM

Dammit, I'm frickin on the Mississippi. Stupid stupidness.

Posted by: jamiepants at August 16, 2010 11:52 AM

Worst frame-capture pic ever?

The dude looks like he's made out of putty...and it's melting.

Posted by: PissBoy at August 16, 2010 11:59 AM

"I'd see a movie called "Erection" in any language."

If you see Andy Warhol's film "Erection", I think you'll be disappointed.

On the other subject, maybe a more precise expression would be to say Johnny Hallyday was the closest thing France had to Elvis, just as Cliff Richard was the closest thing England had to Elvis.

Posted by: Pat C at August 16, 2010 1:01 PM

That is probably more precise, yes.

I wouldn't want it to sound like I was championing Cliff in any way. I think his contribution to music is just as poor as Johnny Hallyday's.

A couple of good rock 'n' roll singles back in the 1950s (like Move It), followed by 40 years of blandness.

Posted by: Simon at August 16, 2010 5:23 PM

I'd see a movie called "Erection" in any language.

Sounds pretty gay to me...

Posted by: Uriah Creep at August 16, 2010 11:01 PM