In
this shot-for-shot remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic, director Gus Van Sant
is so hellbent on sticking to the original, he forgot to inject any energy or
excitement into a project he should have thought twice about tackling in the first
place.
For
those of you who don't know, Psycho is the story of a woman (Anne Heche) on the
run, who makes a fateful stop at the Bates Motel. This time, Norman Bates is played
by Vince Vaughn (Swingers). Most of the performances are lackluster compared to
the original. Vaughn has his moments, but is no match for the creepiness displayed
by Anthony Perkins and Heche is nothing special. The best performance comes from
William H. Macy, who seems to have the essence of the character yet offering something
new at the same time.
Van
Sant does add a few new scenes, most of which are ridiculous. For the most part,
Psycho doesn't work because it's not fresh and pales in comparison to the original.
I would rather sit through the sequels than watch this re-creation again. Let's
hope no other filmmaker attempts an experiment like this again. If anyone tried
to remake Citizen Kane or E.T., I'd go psycho. You just don't mess with perfection.
