The new film “Papillon,” without sounding too much like a curmudgeon, doesn’t have a lot going for it. The film, in true modern Hollywood fashion, is the remake of the classic film of the same name, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Steve McQueen. And if that wasn’t enough to make film fans skeptical, the new “Papillon” stars Charlie Hunnam. Yes, the film industry is still trying to force Hunnam on the moviegoing public.
By the looks of the first trailer, it doesn’t appear that this new version deviates much from the classic 1973 film. For those unfamiliar with the original film, as well as the true story its based off of, “Papillon” follows the titular Parisian safecracker (Hunnam), who is framed for murder and thrown in jail at a horrible penal colony. While there, he meets a white-collar criminal Louis Dega, played by Rami Malek (perhaps the film’s saving grace), who makes a deal with the safecracker to fund his escape.
“Papillon” had its debut at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and is finally seeing its release in the US later this summer. We had a chance to see the film at TIFF, and to be perfectly honest, we didn’t give it the best grade. However, there’s still a chance that Hunnam and Malek can strike a chord with the general public.
The film is directed by Michael Noer and written by Aaron Guzikowski, who is best known for writing the 2013 film “Prisoners.” “Papillon” is produced by Joey McFarland, David Koplan, Ram Bergman and Roger Corbi.
“Papillon” will be released by Bleecker Street on August 24.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Based on the international best-selling autobiographic books “Papillon” and “Banco”, the film follows the epic story of Henri “Papillon” Charrière (Charlie Hunnam), a safecracker from the Parisian underworld who is framed for murder and condemned to life in the notorious penal colony on Devil’s Island. Determined to regain his freedom, Papillon forms an unlikely alliance with a convicted counterfeiter Louis Dega (Rami Malek), who in exchange for protection, agrees to finance Papillon’s escape.