Kite (2014 film)

Kite (also called A Kite) is a 2014 South African action film directed by Ralph Ziman, based on the 1998 anime of the same name by Yasuomi Umetsu. The film stars India Eisley, Callan McAuliffe and Samuel L. Jackson.

Kite
Directed byRalph Ziman
Screenplay byBrian Cox
Based onKite
by Yasuomi Umetsu
Produced byAnant Singh
Brian Cox
Moisés Cosío
StarringIndia Eisley
Callan McAuliffe
Samuel L. Jackson
CinematographyLance Gewer
Edited byMegan Gill
Music byPaul Hepker
Production
companies
Videovision Entertainment
Distant Horizon
Detalle Films
Distributed byAnchor Bay Entertainment
Release dates
  • 18 July 2014 (2014-07-18)[1][2]
(FIFF)
  • 28 August 2014 (2014-08-28)
(United States)
April 2015
(Japan)
Running time
90 minutes
CountrySouth Africa
LanguageEnglish

Synopsis

Society has degenerated into a slum where people have taken to kidnapping children and selling them to flesh cartels. A young woman named Sawa (India Eisley) has been pretending to be a prostitute in order to kill some of the cartel leaders, ultimately trying to reach the main leader, Emir, who had killed her parents. After a kill, she finds she needs to relax by taking a drug called "Amp", which also wipes her memories.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

A live action adaptation of Kite was reported to be in various stages of pre-production for a number of years, with American film director Rob Cohen attached as either director or producer.[3] The film, which takes place in a post-financial collapse corrupt society, follows a girl who tries to track down her father's killer with help from his ex-partner. The content of the live action film is expected to be toned down from the original OVA. On 2 September 2011, David R. Ellis was hired to direct the remake.[4] On 17 December 2012, Samuel L. Jackson announced that he was the first actor to join the cast of Ellis's Kite, with filming taking place in Johannesburg.[5] Ellis died on 7 January 2013, before shooting started.[6][7] On 3 February 2013, Ralph Ziman took over as director of the film; actors India Eisley and Callan McAuliffe subsequently joined the cast.[8]

Filming

Filming wrapped in February 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Marketing

The 10-minute trailer for the film was released on 6 January 2014,[9][10] followed by another trailer on 16 July.[11]

Release

On 10 May 2013, The Weinstein Company acquired worldwide distribution rights for Kite outside of the US, South Africa, and India.[12] On 17 April 2014, Anchor Bay Entertainment acquired the US and Canada distribution rights to the film.[13]

The film was released in 2014.[14] It is the first film based on the anime film licensed in the US by Anime Works.

Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported that 0% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 15 reviews, with an average rating of 2.66/10.[15] It also has a Metacritic score of 19 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[16]

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote on his review that "Ralph Ziman's Kite repackages an assortment of genre tropes into an instantly forgettable Luc Besson-aping slog that would be unneeded even if Besson hadn't just returned to big action flicks himself."[17] Peter Debruge of Variety commented: "The super-controversial, often-censored story of an orphaned schoolgirl turned sex slave and assassin isn’t for everyone (and you can’t entirely blame those countries whose strict anti-child pornography laws deemed it wasn’t for anyone), although a slicker, less overtly kinky remake should have been catnip to Sin City and Sucker Punch fans. But judging by the disappointing results, this uninspired Anchor Bay release awaits homevid obscurity."[18] Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave the film two out of four stars, commenting that "Ziman creates a visually interesting, graffiti-festooned landscape, there's a plenitude of action – including some truly goring death scenes – and Eisley and Callan McAuliffe as Oburi are both nicely appealing. But the tedium soon sets in, thanks mostly to a story that feels clichéd beyond bearing, including a final twist that is so 'never mind.'"[19]

References
  1. "Mamoru Oshii to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at Montreal's Fantasia Fest". Animenewsnetwork.com. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. "Kite: Sponsored by SuperClub Vidéotron / Anchor Bay Entertainment". Fantasiafestival.com. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  3. Press Release. Distant Horizon and Rob Cohen partner on live action remake Of anime hit “Kite”. Retrieved 21 May 2009
  4. "David R. Ellis Takes Kite". ComingSoon.net. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  5. "Samuel L. Jackson Joins 'Kite' Remake, Says He Loves 'Oldboy' and Is Dying to Do More 'Star Wars' - Movie News - Movies.com". Movies.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  6. "David R. Ellis, Director of 'Snakes on a Plane,' Dies at 60". Hollywoodreporter.com. 7 January 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  7. Team, The Deadline (7 January 2013). "R.I.P David R. Ellis". Deadline.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  8. Tartaglione, Nancy (3 February 2013). "Samuel L. Jackson, India Eisley, Callan McAuliffe Fly With 'Kite' Remake". Deadline.com. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  9. Anderton, Ethan (6 January 2014). "Watch: Samuel L. Jackson Introduces First Trailer for Live-Action 'Kite'". Firstshowing.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  10. "Live-Action Kite Film's 1st Trailer Posted". Anime News Network. 6 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  11. Anderton, Ethan (16 July 2014). "Samuel L. Jackson Hunts a Murderer in the Second Trailer for 'Kite'". Firstshowing.net. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  12. "Cannes: Weinstein Co. Flies With 'Kite'". Deadline.com. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  13. Yamato, Jen (17 April 2014). "Live-Action Anime Adaptation 'Kite' Starring Samuel L. Jackson Acquired By Anchor Bay". Deadline.com. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
  14. "First-Look at Samuel L. Jackson in Live-Action Adaptation of Japanese Anime 'Kite'". Indiewire.com. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  15. "Kite (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. "Kite (2014) Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  17. DeFore, John (20 August 2014). "Kite: Fantasia Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  18. Debruge, Peter (20 July 2014). "Film Review: Kite". Variety. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  19. Howell, Peter (2 October 2014). "Tusk, Kite and Left Behind: movie reviews". Toronto Star. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
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