(Re) Assignment
| (Re) Assignment | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Walter Hill |
| Produced by |
Saïd Ben Saïd Michel Merkt |
| Written by |
Walter Hill Denis Hamill |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ry Cooder |
| Cinematography | James Liston |
Production company |
SBS Productions Solution Entertainment Group |
| Distributed by | Saban Films |
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
(Re) Assignment (working title Tomboy, a Revenger's Tale) is an American crime-thriller film directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Denis Hamill. The film stars Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Anthony LaPaglia, Terry Chen, Paul McGillion, and Caitlin Gerard.
The film centres on Frank/Tomboy Kitchen (Rodriguez), a contract killer who is seeking revenge after being involuntarily subjected to gender reassignment surgery by the sociopathic Dr. Rachel Kay (Weaver).[1]
Cast
- Michelle Rodriguez as Frank Kitchen / Tomboy
- Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Rachel Kay
- Tony Shalhoub as Dr. Ralph Galen
- Anthony LaPaglia as Honest John Hartunian
- Terry Chen as Dr. Lin
- Paul McGillion as Paul Wincott
- Caitlin Gerard as Johnnie
- Zak Santiago as Edward Gonzalez
Development
In 1978 Denis Hamil wrote the first draft of a script called Tom Boy. It was about a juvenile delinquent who rapes and murders a woman whose husband is a plastic surgeon. He's arrested and goes to prison, but the surgeon captures him and turns him into a woman. The character goes on to commit a series of murders. Walter Hill recalls "I liked its audacity, and its potential to be … this always sounds patronizing, but a kind of really terrific B movie. You know, the kind of movie that doesn't get much love when it comes out, but you love watching it on TV years later, much more than you do the "big" movies of the day."[2]Hill optioned the script with his own money around ten years after he first read it. He tried to write a different version but could not get it to work. He put the project aside until he found a copy of the first draft fifteen years later. He believed he knew how do it this time and re-optioned the script.[2]
Hill had success releasing a graphic novel in France and was looking for a follow up. He wrote up the project as a graphic novel.[3]
Hill's agent introduced him to a producer, Said Ben Said, who was willing to invest. "The only rules he laid down was that it’d have to be made for very cheap, and there had to be some name value in the cast," said Hill.[2]
Production
Principal photography on the film began on November 9, 2015 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[4][5]
Walter Hill directed the revenge thriller based on a script he co-wrote with Denis Hamill, which Saïd Ben Saïd produced along with Michel Merkt through SBS Productions.[5][6]
It is the fifth collaboration between Weaver and Hill, who produced the first four Alien films in which Weaver starred.
Reception
The transgender community was largely disappointed by the image of forced gender reassignment surgery and a boycott was created in response.[7]
"I wouldn't make a movie that hurt transgender people," said Hill. "Some of them have had a tough time of it, and the last thing I want to do is make anyone's road harder. But look, I understand the concern. Is it lurid? Yes. Is it lowbrow? Well, maybe. Is it offensive? No. I'm just trying to honor the B movies that we grew up with."[2]
In 2016, Michelle Rodriguez won best actress from Verband der deutschen Filmkritik.[8]
Todd McCarthy gave the film a positive review in The Hollywood Reporter, calling it "Hill’s most entertaining and ... accomplished film in some time," and "an instant cult item."[9]
References
- ↑ "Is (Re)Assignment 2016's Most Offensive Movie?". BBC Culture, September 13, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Fear, David (16 September 2016). "Walter Hill on Controversial Revenge Thriller '(Re)Assignment'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
- ↑ Brown, Phil (15 September 2016). "Walter Hill on His Controversial Thriller '(Re) Assignment' and Why He Quit 'Deadwood'". Collider.
- ↑ "Michelle Rodriguez films Tomboy, A Revenger's Tale in Canada". Mail Online. November 17, 2015. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- 1 2 Kit, Borys (October 28, 2015). "Michelle Rodriguez to Star in Gender-Reassignment Thriller 'Tomboy' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ↑ Ford, Rebecca (February 10, 2016). "'Tomboy': Michelle Rodriguez Is Out for Revenge (Exclusive Photo) | Berlin". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
- ↑ "Transgender community disappointed by bizarre new Michelle Rodriguez film '(Re)Assignment'". 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2016-08-20.
- ↑ "verband der deutschen filmkritik e.V". Vdfk.de. Retrieved 2016-11-27.
- ↑ McCarthy, Todd (November 9, 2016). "'(Re)Assignment' Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 27, 2016.