We've been patiently waiting the U.S. premiere of Bong Joon-ho's snow train movie Snowpiercer. But in spite of the exceedingly high praise the movie has received internationally, Weinstein is cutting the U.S. release to bits, because he thinks we're all dum-dums.
Twitch Film is reporting from film critic Tony Rayns that The Weinstein Company is looking to cut 20 minutes from the 126-minute-long film. Why? Because they don't think it will play in Peoria. Specifically, Rayns says, "TWC people have told Bong that their aim is to make sure the film will be understood by audiences in Iowa... and Oklahoma." It gets worse; they're also adding a voice over.
"Leaving aside the issue of what Weinstein thinks of its audience, it seems to say the least anomalous that the rest of the English-speaking world has to be dragged down to the presumed level of American mid-west hicks." The film critic attended the July 29th Seoul premiere of the film, and after speaking with Bong, revealed that most of the cuts would come in the form of character detail, effectively turning this rich Sci-Fi thriller into a straightforward action film. Adding further insult to injury, voiceovers will now be added to the opening and closing of the film.
We have to agree with Twitch. How the hell is a movie about a train revolt where the poor passengers in the back revolt by MOVING FORWARD IN A TRAIN hard to understand? Give the American public some credit — hell, Captain America is in this movie! Perhaps the saddest part are the critics who have actually screened the film and are all offering up ominous speculations about the potential chopping block segments of this film, warning that any cuts will turn an interesting, dark film into just another action movie. BOO.
[Via Twitch Film]