What the hell is the deal with Chris Rock? The man has some of the most brilliant stand-up I’ve ever seen, but nearly all his movies are awful, and he’s constantly doing Chris Rock-ified versions of classics that no one ever thought should be remade, especially by him.
I THINK I LOVE MY WIFE was a remake of L’AMOUR L’APRES-MIDI, DOWN TO EARTH was another go at HEAVEN CAN WAIT and now DEATH AT A FUNERAL is a remake of the British DEATH AT A FUNERAL from a few years ago, with both films starring Peter Dinklage.
Now he’s at it again, as in an interview with Black Voices, he says he’s remaking Akira Kurosawa’s HIGH AND LOW with director Mike Nichols, stepping in for screenwriter David Mamet. Here’s the plot:
Based loosely on Evan Hunter’s ‘King’s Ransom,’ the story follows an executive named Kingo Gondo, who learns that his son has been kidnapped. He is prepared to pay the ransom amount until he discovers that the kidnappers mistakenly abducted the child of his chauffeur. Gondo must decide between keeping the money he has saved up for a critical corporate buyout or using it to save his driver’s son.
So uh, is this a comedy now with Rock involved? Kurosawa’s film was a classic crime thriller, so what the hell is Chris Rock doing anywhere near a remake of this, even if he’s not starring (which good lord, he could be)? Why not just have Tracy Morgan re-shoot REAR WINDOW while we’re here, or Steve Carell pen a CHINATOWN reboot?
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