ReelBob: ‘Papillon’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
The remake of “Papillon” begs the question of what does this version bring to the table that was not in the 1973 original?
The answer — basically nothing.
The new movie, directed by Danish filmmaker Michael Noer, is a sturdy vehicle that works because of the chemistry between Charles Hunnam as safecracker Henri “Papillon” Charriere and counterfeiter Louis Dega (Rami Malek).
The bond they forge is the foundation on which the film rests. The two men are totally different. Papillon is a thief who knows the ways of the Parisian underworld. Dega is an educated individual who relies on money and intellect to survive.
The focus of Aaron Guzikowski’s screenplay, based on Charriere’s memoirs, as well as the 1973 screenplay by Dalton Trumbo and Lorezno Semple Jr., is Papillon’s attempts to flee from the penal colony in French Guiana.
The basic difference between the two movies is 33 minutes: the original version was 150 minutes, while the remake has been trimmed to 117.
The tone of the two movies vary as well. The original was more an adventure-escape feature, while Noer’s movie has a sociological subtext about the inhumanity of the French penal system.
Because of this emphasis, it also is more brutal and graphically violent.
Noer’s “Papillon” tells the story in a matter-of-fact, conventional manner. It never seems to ascend; it is content to simply present the events.
The movie lacks heart and muscle. It’s not bad — just disposable. The absence of any memorial set pieces defines it as ordinary.
The best sequences are those of Papillon serving his first sentence in solitary confinement, a two-year stretch during which he was not allowed to speak.
A failed escape attempt lands him a second, five-year term in solitary, which the movie quickly glosses over to rush to its finale on the infamous Devil’s Island.
Hunnam, who was splendid in “The Lost City of Z,” gives a convincing performance as the thief who remains focused on claiming his freedom. He holds his emotions in check, as his mind continually devises methods of escaping.
Initially Malik, best known as the star of TV’s “Mr. Robot,” portrays Dega as a timid and frightened man who cannot cope with the viciousness foisted upon him.
His continual nervousness and chatter make him a target, which Papillon uses to his advantage by befriending Dega to help him in his plans.
Malik shows how, over the years, Dega, while staying careful, also develops a backbone and decides to join Papillon in his venture.
What “Papillon” lacks is the star power and charisma that Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman brought to their roles.
And that is this “Papillon’s” biggest shortcoming; it’s lead actors are competent, but like the movie itself, they fail to soar or offer anything new that will set the movie apart from its predecessor.
And maybe that is Noer’s intention; his vision is not to recreate an overblown spectacle, but to basically detail how ordinary men cope and survive in a hell-like environment in which life and dignity have no worth.
I am a member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
PAPILLON
2½ stars out of 4
(R), graphic and bloody violence, language, nudity, sexual situations