DYING OF THE LIGHT Trailer and Poster: Nicolas Cage Stars in Paul Schrader's New Thriller

The first trailer and poster for the thriller "Dying of the Light" have been released. Directed by Paul Schrader (writer of "Taxi Driver") and produced by Nicolas Winding Refn ("Drive"), the film stars Nicolas Cage as a CIA agent who is forced into retirement by signs of early onset dementia just as he discovers his former tormentor, Jihadist Muhhamed Banir, is not dead as assumed for two decades but is alive and receiving experimental medical treatment.

What seems to be more interesting than the film's plot, is its backstory. Apparently Schrader was locked out of the editing room on the film, and the version of the film that we'll be seeing is not his director's cut. The director announced this via Facebook and also released a photo in which he, Cage, Anton Yelchin and Winding Refn protest against the studio's handling of the movie. While I understand the filmmaker's frustration with having his vision butchered, honestly, the film looks like a watered-down version of "Homeland" shot on the cheap in Romania. Was it really that good before the studio interfered ? Anyway, here's the director's message:

"We lost the battle. “Dying of the Light,” a film I wrote and directed, was taken away from me, redited, scored and mixed without my imput. Yesterday Grindstone (a division of Lionsgate) released the poster and the trailer. They are available on line. Here we are, Nick Cage, Anton Yelchin, Nic Refn and myself, wearing our “non-disparagement” T shirts. The non-disparagement clause in an artist’s contract gives the owners of the film the right to sue the artist should the owner deem anything the artist has said about the film to be “derogatory.” I have no comment on the film or others connected with the picture."

The same thing happened to Schrader before, with the prequel to "The Exorcist", when he was fired after finishing most of the movie and replaced with Renny Harlin. He then released his version of the film titled "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist" on DVD, and it was pretty good, but not superior in a definitive way to Harlin's version. It's one of those strange cases where I enjoyed both movies and would have loved to find a way to mix the two together.

"Dying of the Light" will get a limited release in theaters on December 5th.

Watch the trailer after the jump.

dying-of-the-light-non-disparagement-shirts

Official Synopsis

"Evan Lake, a desk-bound Langley CIA agent, is forced into retirement by signs of early onset dementia. At the same time he discovers his former tormentor, Jihadist Muhhamed Banir, is not dead as assumed for two decades but is alive and receiving experimental medical treatment. Banir's exact location is unknown. With the help of a disgraced young agent Evan sets out to track down Banir. He must confront him before it is too late--for both of them. Evan's search leads him from Bucharest to Mombasa where, in the guise of a doctor, he confront his nemesis."

RELATED POSTS :

Friday, October 17, 2014

DYING OF THE LIGHT Trailer and Poster: Nicolas Cage Stars in Paul Schrader's New Thriller