The Outrage (2011)

In this worthy adaptation of the Japanese film "Rashomon," a young monk is left to determine the truth behind three competing perspectives after a bandit's disturbing murder trial.

Director:

M.L. Pundhevanop Dhewakul (as M.L. Bhandevanov Devakula)

Writers:

Ryûnosuke Akutagawa (based on stories by), Akira Kurosawa (based on screenplay by)

Stars:

Mario Maurer, Petchtai Wongkamlao, Pongpat Wachirabunjong

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mario Maurer	...	Monk
Petchtai Wongkamlao	...	Woodcutter (as Phettai Wongkamlao)
Pongpat Wachirabunjong	...	Undertaker (as Phongpat Wachirabanjhong)
Ananda Everingham	...	Warlord (as Ananda Mathew Everingham)
Laila Boonyasak	...	Warlord's Wife (as Chermarn Boonyasak)
Dom Hetrakul	...	Bandit
Sakarat Lerkthamrong	...	Prince of Pha-Mueang City
Phongsiree Bunluewong	...	Police Inspector
Ratklao Amaratisha	...	Medium
Daraneenute Bhothipiti	...	Warlord Wife's Mother
Charttayodom Hiranyasthiti	...	Abbot
Thanya Wachirabunjong	...	Warlord's Mother (as Thanya Sophon)
Chaiyapol J. Poupart	...	Anand
Voravudh Niyomsub	...	Monk's Father
Chudapha Chantakett	...	Monk's Mother

Storyline

In this worthy adaptation of the Japanese film "Rashomon," a young monk is left to determine the truth behind three competing perspectives after a bandit's disturbing murder trial.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | sword | murder mystery | sword fight | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

Thailand

Language:

Thai

Release Date:

September 2011 (Thailand)

Also Known As:

At the Gate of the Ghost

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sahamongkol Film International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

This movie has been made to celebrate the virtue of Lord Buddha's teachings.

User Reviews

Competent remake of "Rashomon" but with a few WTF flaws

"At the Gate of the Ghost" (2011) is an ambitious remake of Kurosawa's incomparable classic "Rashomon" (1950) which itself is an adaptation of 2 short stories "In a Grove" and "Rashomon" published in 1922. If you haven't seen the original "Rashomon", just take my word for it: it's the Japanese equivalent of the American "Citizen Kane". Like Kane, Rashomon jump started a new breed of film exploring the fractured narrative where a story is told from different, often conflicting, points of view. The ultimate question being raised: is there such thing as absolute truth? Or is the entire universe itself a subjective experience which each individual must define?

That said, let's get back to "At the Gate of the Ghost". Deliberately, this film is presented from a very overt, biased, Buddhist perspective. The opening titles say so. That sort of shatters the objective lens through which we perceive the characters' subjective nature. And for the first 20 minutes (which I hated so much I almost ejected this DVD into the trash), we get a ton of bizarre Buddhist sermons with convoluted fortune cookie catchphrases splattered across the screen to the sounds of operatic singing. Perhaps the meaning was lost in translation to English, but I found myself getting a headache while trying to make any sense of these slogans, for example (this is a direct quote), "One should strive to act in a way that is true to the way things are, that accords with the underlying truth of things."

WTF? I've heard more logical statements from the Bush administration.

But let's say you make it past the first 20 minutes. That's when things start to get really good. Following the first 20 minutes which amount to an unnecessary subplot about our hero, a young Buddhist monk who walks around observing his family's hypocrisies with a look of extreme constipation, the real gist of the movie kicks in when he finds himself in a cave talking to 2 other lost souls who have ducked in out of the rain.

Acclaimed Thai actor Pongpat Wachirabunjong (playing the role of the unscrupulous undertaker) immediately livens up the production with his larger-than-life portrayal of a disgusting, twisted misanthrope whom you can't help but love. Mutually distrustful of each other, the 3 men begin to talk about crime & punishment, and then they begin discussing the bizarre details of a murder trial.

They recount the witness testimonies, the facts, the opinions and ultimately the judgment that had just taken place, and through these different accounts we get drawn in to the mystery of wherein lies the truth. Each testimony radically contradicts the others. We hear from the Woodcutter who found the body, the Investigator who apprehended the Suspect, the Suspect who proclaims his innocence, the Wife of the victim who has a different story yet, and finally a very cool, stylish and creepy testimony from the murdered man himself.

One area where this film outshines the original "Rashomon" (through no fault of Kurosawa) is in the extreme, glorious use of colors. The visuals are really quite stunning. So in the end I do recommend this film, even to the Rashomon curmudgeons like me who say nothing will ever touch the original. Certain scenes are absolutely magical in their hi- definition glory, much like something you might expect from the modern Chinese master director Zhang Yimou ("Hero", "House of Flying Daggers"). I definitely count "At the Gate of the Ghost" as well worth the price of admission.