Psycho (1998)

A remake can be a good thing, though oftentimes they infringe on the original content and don't make a statement themselves. The 1998 remake of the classic Hitchcockian "Psycho" is not trying to make any bold statements throughout its run. Instead Van Sant decides to do a shot for shot remake of the film, using the same camera angles, cinematography, and only updating technology and references, yet not reinvisioning the characters. Still, none of the actors comes across as their original characters. Norman Bates was such a huge presence in the film, and he is the namesake of the film, so the other major characters came off as minor caricatures in Bates' little game of self-hatred and psychosis. Van Sant put in a lot of work trying to make his A-list stars recreate the tension and exhausting thrill of the original. Heche is so timid throughout, especially those shots of her headlong in the car which make her seem so small. Between her and Vaughan, the two of them seem like kids playing in their parents too big clothes. Vaughan also is wrong for this, but not because his performance was such a change from the original. Vaughan is wrong, wrong, wrong for this part in so many ways it boggles the mind. Besides not being able to pull off a serious role, he can't embody creepy. Perkins was creepy because of his slight, lean frame, his clawed fingers around that knife, buggered eyes, and though he was so quiet and calm throughout, the ending is only slightly a surprise, only lightly out of the realm of possibility. Moore is far too forceful, Macy stayed true to the original character but barely resonates, and Mortensen is clumsy as a let loose pig. The colors in this are post-modernist and glaring, as the blood dribbles onto white tiles, the Navajo sun over the desert stretch of highway, the deep red of the bathroom walls. It's disgustingly gluttonous and that's all because the original was in black and white Van Sant does do an impressive job of recreating the original sets, but it's just another instance of a complete copy. Some key scenes, including the disposal of the body, showing Marion slashed and torn apart by knife wounds, lost the insidious edge the film was at least trying to cultivate. Also, the fact that we never see Vaughan use the mother's voice, and it's off camera, was an obvious ploy to keep the heavy baritone of Vaughan's voice from coming off as cheesy in a fake old woman's croon. It's trying too hard to be the original, and even as an experiment it is beyond exhausting.