Director John Woo, the master of balletic slow-mo action, is reloading his guns for a remake of Seijun Suziki’s Japanese mafia classic DAY OF THE YOUNG, aptly retitled DAY OF THE BEAST for the remake.
“This remake is my salute to the great films and filmmakers produced by Nikkatsu’s 100 years in cinema history. It is exciting for me as well as an honor,” said Woo during the announcement at Cannes.
The story is “set in Tokyo, Day of the Beast follows a Western outsider with a grim past as he becomes embroiled in a global turf war between Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and old-school Cold War Russian mobsters.”
Woo has been embroiled in making ancient martial arts sword and sandal pics, so it’ll be nice to see him return to the genre that cemented his reputation as an action auteur. I’m a big fan of Woo and it’s been disappointing to see his American films slowly decline to the point of nonexistence.
I think what Woo needs is control over his projects. The US studio system did not suit his filming style very well. Hopefully, DAY OF THE BEAST will be a return to his THE KILLER and HARD BOILED days. This is officially a project to get stoked for in my book.
More as this develops. In the meantime, bask in the glory that is John Woo’s HARD BOILED:
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