Director Erik Van Looy first made a Flemish version of THE LOFT in 2008. It was then remade as a Dutch film in 2010 and now we get the American version. In the rare instance of a filmmaker getting to remake their own movie, Van Looy has returned to helm next year’s THE LOFT starring Karl Urban and James Marsden.
Technically, we have already seen a trailer like this. A red band version was released in 2012 which means either this movie has sat for a couple of years, waiting to be dumped by the studio, or it was an extremely long post-production.
THE LOFT, the story of five married guys who conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city–a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved. Paranoia seizes them as everyone begins to suspect one another. Friendships are tested, loyalties are questioned and marriages crumble as the group is consumed by fear, suspicion and murder in this relentless thriller.
If I had to put money on it, I would venture to guess the movie is not all that great but the distributor figured it would appeal to fans of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY which opens a few weeks later. Could this be worth the viewing time? Possibly based on Urban and Marsden, but I wouldn’t expect much out of this movie. Maybe a few nice T&A shots, but that is about it.
THE LOFT, starring Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rachael Taylor, and Rhona Mitra, opens on January 23, 2015.