The Outrage
Dir: Martin Ritt
1964
****
It's a bold man that remakes an Akira Kurosawa film but Martin Ritt does so impressively. In many respects, 1964's The Outrage works better than Kurosawa's 1950 Rashomon. The initial scene of the film where the two eye-witnesses contemplate what it is they have just experienced to a stranger for one, is a much stronger scene than in the original. I always found the original film to be a little overacted and a little unnatural. Cast an actor like William Shatner and suddenly it works brilliantly. Paul Newman is Paul Newman, an amazing actor and always watchable. They could have cast a real Mexican but Paul Newman is convincing enough, although it's not the great performance that Toshiro Mifune gave 14 years previous. The direction is beautiful, particularly in the opening scene but it doesn't even compere to Rashomon, it's really hard not to compare the two films. That said, it is a clever adaption of the story, performance strong and has the same striking contrasts that made the original so impressive. A rare example of a brilliant remake.