Sometimes there is something lost in translation, and the awkwardly titled Korean film “Die Bad” sounds like a Die Hard ripoff by The Asylum. However it will be getting an American remake under the kind tutilage of Marc Forster, who is getting a lot of attention for his Bond flick Quantum of Solace that opened to rave reviews last weekend in the UK.
The German-Swiss filmmaker, who previously shot specialized fare like “Stranger than Fiction” and “Finding Neverland,” has been attached to “Die Bad,” a remake of a Korean action movie.
The original film, released in 2000, centers on a set of interlocking stories featuring a gangster and gang violence in South Korea. The Universal Pictures remake will be set in the United States.
Now remakes of Korean or any Asian film for that matter are hit and miss. For every Deparated, there are 10 Grudges. Though our cultures may have some similiar ground, many of these films that work so well within their culture end up being a mess here.
Right now Marc Forster is being hauled around on the shoulders of the critics for his efforts with Quantum of Solace, and when that happens people seem to think they can do no wrong. I hope they are right.
I haven’t seen the original Die Bad, and I half hope at very least they change the title. The premise sounds pretty straight forward, so with any luck it will be a great action film. And if Quantum is any indication of how this guy can handle action (its being praised as the most action packed Bond ever) then we might be in for a treat.
