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TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: #4. Oren Moverman’s Rampart

The Messenger was/is distinct indie fare, but Moverman’s sophomore effort might fall into the “Drive” category — accessible, larger audience films with an auteur treatment with plenty of attention to the details (look, performance, tone). The James Ellroy adapted dirty cop tale is based on true events and with a larger, more recognizable cast, and a re-pairing of Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, there would appear to be more guarantee for the buck (award nominations, wide theatrical release).

#4. Rampart
The Gist: This is an adaptation of James Ellroy’s novel where Cube will play a homicide detective sent to investigate a dirty cop (Harrelson) in a drama that is squarely based on the scandal involving crooked L.A.P.D. cops in the 1990s.

Director: Oren Moverman (The Messenger)
Sales Agent: WME Entertainment
Selling Point/Suited For: The Messenger was/is distinct indie fare, but Moverman’s sophomore effort might fall into the “Drive” category — accessible, larger audience film with an auteur treatment with plenty of attention to the details (look, performance, tone). The James Ellroy adapted dirty cop tale is based on true events and with a larger, more recognizable cast, and a re-pairing of Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster, there would appear to be more guarantee for the buck (award nominations, wide theatrical release). I’m guessing this might be a surprise break-out hit for the fest – meaning  a distributor such as Oscilloscope Laboratories (who might want to rework with Moverman again) will have to shell out more dollars. Look for for Steve Buscemi’s perf — he was brilliant in the allocated time he had in The Messenger.

 

 

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Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).

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