The Loft: A Shot-for-Shot Remake That Offers Little New
A high-quality erotic thriller with a talented cast would have been a welcome addition to the genre, if it weren’t a near-identical copy of the Belgian original. If you’ve seen one “Loft,” you’ve essentially seen them all.
The premise is simple: Five married friends devise a scheme to secretly rent a loft apartment in a prestigious building, away from their wives. This loft becomes their private sanctuary, or more often, a secret “playground” for affairs with mistresses, prostitutes, or casual acquaintances. The key is to keep it hidden from their spouses. However, their idyllic arrangement shatters one morning when they discover a bloodied woman with slashed wrists in the loft’s bed. All evidence points to someone within their close-knit group of philanderers, leaving them to uncover who took their escapades too far.
A Tale of Two Lofts: Original vs. Remake
Besides the Belgian and American versions, the Netherlands also produced their own “Loft” in 2010. Erik Van Looy was involved, stepping in as director when Antoinette Beumer was injured during filming.
In 2008, Erik Van Looy’s “Loft” became a box-office sensation in Belgium, setting an attendance record for local films. This success caught the attention of Hollywood, leading Van Looy to direct an English-language version for a global audience. However, his approach was overly simplistic: the American “Loft” almost exactly mirrors the Belgian “Loft.” This makes comparisons unavoidable.
Without its predecessor, the new “Loft” could have been a decent entry in the nearly extinct erotic thriller genre. It skillfully balances a detective story, where friends investigate a murder that threatens their comfortable lives, with an erotic drama filled with passion and sex. While it’s no “Basic Instinct,” the film has dynamism, inventive camerawork, and an unpredictable resolution. However, viewers familiar with the 2008 original will find little new here. The remake replicates the original scene-by-scene, with identical shots, editing, and even color correction.
The Saving Grace: A New Cast
Patrick Wilson was initially cast in a lead role but had to withdraw due to scheduling conflicts. Karl Urban replaced him.
Despite the similarities, there is a significant difference that might draw viewers, even those who saw the original years ago: the cast. The studio and Van Looy assembled a respectable ensemble of notable actors in unexpected roles. Karl Urban and James Marsden take the forefront, with Urban playing an intellectual architect and Marsden portraying a self-made romantic hero. Wentworth Miller from “Prison Break” subtly showcases his charisma, while Eric Stonestreet from “Modern Family” breaks from his usual comedic persona. Matthias Schoenaerts, who starred in the original, reprises his role, recreating scenes with uncanny accuracy.
Beyond the five leads, the new “Loft” benefits from its captivating female cast. While the Belgian version lacked striking beauties, the Hollywood version oozes sex appeal. Isabel Lucas and Rachael Taylor play the leading ladies, while supporting actresses like Rhona Mitra hold their own as alluring wives. The cast elevates the “Loft,” even if the plot remains predictable.
Familiar Themes, Familiar Execution
Ultimately, the “Loft” remains a solid thriller with beautiful visuals, a suffocating atmosphere of fear, and claustrophobic dread. The themes of friendship being different from what we perceive, love causing more pain than happiness, and small lies growing into destructive forces are still present, perhaps even more pronounced. However, repeating these truths so verbatim feels unnecessary. One can only sympathize with Erik Van Looy, who spent seven years on a self-remake. Hopefully, his ticket to Hollywood has been paid, and he can now showcase something original.