Thursday, July 30, 2009

'Blood Simple' in Chinese?


We're used to foreign films being remade by lazy U.S. filmmakers, but this is a new twist: The Austin-shot Coen brothers film Blood Simple is being remade in China. I'm somewhat speechless.

The original shot a lot on Austin's Sixth Street back when you were less likely to get sucker punched walking between clubs. Great scenes as well out in Hutto when it was a sleepy little town of less than 1,000. It now clocks in at more than 17,000 inhabitants.

Filmmaker Zhang Yimou is directing the remake.

As one friend on Facebook put it: "House of Flying Daggers was my favorite film of 2004. I haven't seen anything he's done since then ... but unless he's planning to go all-out with the Chinese whackness, I don't see why ANYONE should touch Blood Simple."

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