The new trailer for “13,” Gela Babluani’s remake of his 2005 French film “13 Tzameti” has arrived. Incidentally, tzameti is the Georgian word for “13,” which makes the film title a mindfuck on a whole ‘nother level. More importantly, “13 Tzameti” was a taut thriller with a vicious little concept that’s too good to spoil (and was spoiled in both the international trailer for that film and this one). This trailer (which you can check out below), is unfortunately dubbed into Russian (the international language of Europe, clearly), but we here at the Playlist were able to decipher with the use of our personal translator (this writer).
Not that it needs much deciphering. The film stars a considerable manly cast featuring Sam Riley, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Ray Winstone, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, and Michael Shannon. Emanuelle Chriqui was reportedly attached to it but she is nowhere to be seen in the trailer, which skews heavy on the gruff dialogue, criminal underground type of thing.
Riley looks to be on the run after discovering the nature of the tournament while Statham is seemingly after a large sum of money. Rourke plays a rugged prisoner who is captured and delivered to “the game” by 50 Cent. Michael Shannon is running things and we’re off. The subject of the tournament is best left unspoiled until you see the trailer but the film looks decent, if a bit too much like a simplistic English-language riff on the original with minor expansions, rather than a full-scale rehaul. But then again, if “Let Me In” can score points with us, maybe this one can too. “13” was supposed to premiere at the 2010 SXSW Film Festival earlier this year, but Lionsgate bought the picture and then pulled it from competition wanting to save it for later on. There’s still no release date for the film and at this point in the year, it’s very likely the film will be bumped into 2011.