An Awesome French Film Just Got More American

Posted by Brian C. Gibson (brian@filmschoolrejects.com) on October 23, 2008

If you haven’t seen 13 Tzameti, trust me and run out and grab it off the shelf. The film took the grand jury prize at Sundance, and for good reason. So why talk about a three year old film now? Apparently, someone saw a problem with it and has decided to remake it. The problem? It’s French.

One of the best things about the original film had nothing to do with the actors. The film is undoubtedly one of the most tense experiences that I have ever been through. The story begins with a man who opens a letter meant for someone else and follows the directions to certain destinations. He later finds out that he has been directed to an underground Russian Roulette competition. The death match is held by wealthy men who gamble on the game. So now that you know the film, make sure to go out and see the original before the remake hits our soil.

Géla Babluani, who wrote and directed the original, will direct the remake which is tentatively titled 13. Babluani has already made a few statements regarding the remake. He has already stated that he intends to change some of the aspects of the story, but none of this is as weird as the casting announcements. If someone were to ask how to fix a film that is too French? We can start with less turtlenecks, and end with casting Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham and 50 Cent. Don’t get too worried though, those guys will probably only be supporting players. The man who will likely steal the show as the film’s protagonist, Sam Riley.

Riley made fame for himself by playing the lead singer of Joy Division, Ian Curtis, in last year’s Control. If there is anything that can make me feel better about someone trying to fix a perfectly good film, it is casting Sam Riley. So what is the moral of this story for filmmakers? Never, ever, make a film in a foreign language…especially not in black and white.

Read more articles by Brian C. Gibson