Dying of the Light (film)

Dying of the Light

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Paul Schrader
Produced by Scott Clayton
Gary A. Hirsch
Todd Williams
Executive:
Nicolas Winding Refn
Written by Paul Schrader
Starring Nicolas Cage
Anton Yelchin
Irène Jacob
Music by Frederik Wiedmann
Cinematography Gabriel Kosuth
Edited by Tim Silano
Production
company
Red Granite Pictures
Grindstone Entertainment Group
Distributed by Signature Entertainment
Release dates
  • December 5, 2014
Running time
 94 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Romanian
Arabic
Budget $5 million

Dying of the Light is a 2014 American thriller film written and directed by Paul Schrader.[2] The film stars Nicolas Cage, Anton Yelchin and Irène Jacob. It was released theatrically and through VOD formats on December 5, 2014.[3]

Plot

Veteran CIA agent Evan Lake has been ordered to retire, but when his protégé, Milton Schultz, uncovers evidence that Lake's nemesis, the terrorist Banir, has resurfaced, Lake goes rogue, embarking on a perilous, intercontinental mission to eliminate his sworn enemy.

Cast

Production

In January 2010, Nicolas Winding Refn was attached to direct Paul Schrader's script, with Harrison Ford to star as lead.[7] On February 15, 2010, Refn left the film project to direct Drive.[8] On June 5, 2013, it was announced that Paul Schrader would direct the film off his own script, with Refn joining on as an executive producer.[2] On July 30, 2013, Nicolas Cage joined the film in the lead role, replacing Ford.[4] On January 10, 2014, Anton Yelchin joined the film, along with Irène Jacob and Alexander Karim.[5] On March 6, Red Granite International joined as producers.[9] On August 19, it was announced that Lionsgate Home Entertainment had acquired the distribution rights to the film.[10]

On October 16, 2014, Schrader posted on his Facebook page: "We lost the battle. 'Dying of the Light,' a film I wrote and directed, was taken away from me, reedited, scored and mixed without my input."[11] On December 8, 2014, his cinematographer - Gabriel Kosuth - explained, in a guest column on Variety.com, that his color-significant cinematography had been digitally altered and that he "was denied the possibility to accomplish in post-production what is any cinematographer’s duty: 'assuring that what audiences will see on cinema and television screens faithfully reflects the “look” intended by the director' (according to the American Cinematographer Manual)".[12]

Filming

Filming was set to begin on January 27, 2014,[5] to be shot in Romania, including in Castel Film Studios, Bucharest, and wrapped after five weeks followed by post-production to be done in the US.[6] On March 5, 2014, Cage was spotted on the set during the filming of The Dying of the Light in Queensland, Australia.[13] The next day, March 6, it was announced that the shooting in Gold Coast, Queensland had wrapped and the rest of the film would be shot in Romania.[9]

Reception

Dying of the Light was panned by critics; it currently holds a 9% rating, based on 32 reviews, on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.[14] On Metacritic, the film has a 31/100 rating based on 12 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[15]

References

  1. ↑ "DYING OF THE LIGHT (18)". British Board of Film Classification. December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 JAGERNAUTH, KEVIN (5 June 2013). "Paul Schrader To Direct 'The Dying Of The Light,' Nicolas Winding Refn May Produce". indiewire.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  3. ↑ http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=123848
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Anderton, Ethan (30 July 2013). "Nicolas Cage to Lead Paul Schrader's Thriller 'The Dying of the Light'". firstshowing.net. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 JAGERNAUTH, KEVIN (10 January 2014). "Anton Yelchin Joins Paul Schrader's 'Dying Of The Light'". indiewire.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Blaga, Iulia (22 January 2014). "Paul Schrader to shoot The Dying of the Light in Romania". filmneweurope.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Raup, Jordan (29 January 2010). "Harrison Ford To Star In Nicolas Winding Refn’s ‘The Dying Of The Light’". thefilmstage.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  8. ↑ "Director Refn quits Jekyll and The Dying of the Light". hollywood.com. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Frater, Patrick (6 March 2014). "Red Granite boards Paul Schrader’s ‘Dying of the Light’". variety.com. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  10. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike (August 19, 2014). "Paul Schrader’s ‘Dying Of The Light’ Acquired By Lionsgate Home Entertainment". deadline.com. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  11. ↑ Kilday, Gregg (October 16, 2014). "Director Paul Schrader Says His New Nicolas Cage Movie "Was Taken Away From Me"". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
  12. ↑ Kosuth, Gabriel (December 8, 2014). "Paul Schrader Cinematographer Asks: Who Killed The Color? (Guest Column)". variety.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  13. ↑ Gordon, Naomi (6 March 2014). "Nicolas Cage ages: Star goes grey for The Dying of the Light film role". digitalspy.co.uk. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "Dying of the Light". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Dying of the Light". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 11, 2014.

External links