Lee Sang-il is a Japanese filmmaker best known for his modern redo of Unforgiven, the Clint Eastwood classic that still stands as a hallmark of Western cinema long after its debut back in ’92. And though the odds may have been stacked against him – remakes of bona fide greats tend to bomb at the box office, a fate that looks to be in the cards for Paramount’s Ben-Hur – Sang-il’s version was relatively well received, so imagine our excitement now that the filmmaker is back with a new creative venture, Rage.
Entitled Ikari in its native home of Japan, the feature marks another collaboration between Sang-il and Ken Watanabe, which bodes well ahead of its opening at Tornoto International Film Festival next month.
After all, thanks to roles across both Inception and Gareth Edwards’ divisive Godzilla reboot, Watanabe is one of the few Japanese actors to have broke into the mainstream on two continents, and today brings forth our first look at the esteemed actor in Rage.
The official logline describes the thriller as so: “A grisly unsolved murder links three seemingly unrelated stories in three different Japanese cities, in this arresting ensemble thriller from director Sang-il Lee (Unforgiven).”
No word yet of when (if?) Rage will hit these shores, though we understand Sang-il’s feature will open in Japan on September 17. Watanabe, meanwhile, also has a role opposite Matthew McConaughey in upcoming existential drama The Sea of Trees.
