Red Dead Redemption – Tommy Tracy
Red Dead Redemption is one of the most well-received and brilliant video games to ever be released. What sets Red Dead apart from other releases are its incredible story, characters and setting, dropping you right in the middle of the Wild West where bandits and wild animals were a threat everyday. The wild shoot outs, political intrigue and incredible back drops .The games main character, John Marston, is an honest man, caught up in the woes and pain of the time, trying to fix his life of crime and provide for his wife and son. This is the reason Red Dead would make an incredible film.
Red Dead is a HUGE game, filled with a variety of plot points and side missions. Leaving the side missions out, the game’s main story would still take close to seven hours to show on the big screen. That is why I’m proposing a trilogy of films, which would be the only way to tell this epic tale. The first part includes John and his business through Armadillo and New Austin. The second episode deals with John and his business through Mexico. The third brings John back to America, dealing with the U.S. government and the beginnings of the Marston farm, ending with the greatest ending in video game history (which I will not spoil here).
Now, onto the characters. Christian Bale is the one and only choice to play Marston. Bale brings such a high energy and raw emotion to John, a man who knows his limits and role in life. Bale can bring a sense of authority to the character that many others would not. His earlier trek into the western genre, 3:10 to Yuma, proves he can play the dirty hero this role calls for. Charlize Theron is to play Bonnie MacFarlane, the farmhand who saves John’s life at the beginning of the story and is repaid by him by saving her farm. Theron can play tough and caring, the two things that make Bonnie such a strong woman. For the films main three villains, Daniel Day Lewis would be cast as Dutch, Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Bill and Javier Bardem as Javier. These three men can bring a lot of force and wretchedness to these villains. Bardem especially can turn an Oscar worthy role out of his portrayal of Javier, the perfect stone cold killer we have seen Bardem pull off time and time again. The rest of the cast (as seen below) can easily be seen by anyone familiar with the story of Red Dead.
My choice to direct came down to two choices: hit man extraordinaire Guy Ritchie and indie darling, Robert Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez gets the gig for his past successes with films such as From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado. With those two films, Rodriguez proves he can make an epic western/thriller, mixing action, comedy and drama.
Red Dead Redemption is exactly the kind of film we need today. We haven’t seen a truly great western in years and what Red Dead can wind up being the next Tombstone. Moviegoers love a set of characters they can feel for and admire, which Red Dead provides. This set of films can be something we look forward to seeing in the theaters every other year. Gunfights, gambling, romance and an ending that I will not spoil here (seriously, if you haven’t played this game, do it) would leave a deep impact on pop culture, something we will remember and talk about for years to come.
Cast
Christian Bale as John Marston Charlize Theron as Bonnie MacFarlane
Keir Gilchrist as Jack Marston Juliette Lewis as Abigail Marston
Daniel Day Lewis as Dutch van der Linde Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Bill Williamson
Javier Bardem as Javier Escuella John Malkovich as Edgar Ross
Sam Neill as Drew MacFarlane Jim Broadbent as Nigel West Dickens
Mel Gibson as Irish Ed Harris as Landon Ricketts
Benicio del Toro as Abraham Reyes Michelle Rodriguez as Luisa Fortuna
Peter Fonda as Marshal Leigh Johnson Ned Beatty as Uncle
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