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Actually the original author considered the 2004 version to be closer to the book than the 1987 version. http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050714/social/social-and-personal.84184
"In 1987 the book was made into a lack-lustre movie starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci with Jade Malle as the young kidnap victim. The screenplay went through several transitions under Italian-French direction. At one stage, reading the script, Mr Nicholson mentioned that it did not appear to be following the line of the book. The script-writers replied: "You mean, there's a book...?"
Mr Nicholson, who had imagined his hero as looking like Robert Mitchum, was unimpressed by the outcome, as was the majority of the cinema-going public.
When Hollywood remade the film last year, director Tony Scott cast Denzel Washington as the hero and Dakota Fanning as the young victim but he used Mexico as the location because of the inordinately high number of kidnappings in Mexico City. It received high critical acclaim, not least from Mr Nicholson himself who was happy that it used a lot of his original dialogue."
Ironically Creasy sleeps with Lisa Ramos in one of the deleted scenes (he protected her from gunmen who attacked a shoppng center and she fell for him). This is an scene taken straight from the original 1980 novel, which was set in Italy. Creasy is not a religious Christian in that version.
I suppose they deleted the scene to make Creasy more "pure"?
That's how it was in the source novel by AJ Quinnell, so I don't see how it would be different in an adaptation. Creasy wouldn't be Creasy anymore.
The original author, Phillip Nicholson (AJ Quinnell) did prefer the 2004 version over this one simply because it mostly used his lines https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20050714/social/social-and-personal.84184
"When Hollywood remade the film last year, director Tony Scott cast Denzel Washington as the hero and Dakota Fanning as the young victim but he used Mexico as the location because of the inordinately high number of kidnappings in Mexico City. It received high critical acclaim, not least from Mr Nicholson himself who was happy that it used a lot of his original dialogue."
Look for the original 1980 novel. In many ways the 2004 Denzel movie is closer to the novel!
"There's also subtle satire in the original (the rich parents who don't have time for their kid, until it's too late"
This is in the source novel and in the 2004 adaptation too. In an early script of the '04 version, Creasy even suggests that both parents are deserving of punishment in a way (when it comes time for the dad to kill himself).
The death of Creasy was certainly faked; his death was faked in the source novel too.
Pinta Balletto did die in the original novel, but Sam lived in this movie.
@carl-dawson
There was a bit - You see the drill bore into the tooth.. blood seeps out from the gumline and from the drill area. Then as the drill goes through the tooth the blood splatters across Lockhart's face and he has a look of contempt against the dentist, Dr. Brennan.
I think the "cure" she was being fed meant she grew up very slowly. And the location in the Swiss Alps (mountains!) meant it was easy for Vollmer to shield her from government intervention and from both World Wars.
The location, Switzerland, meant she could be sheltered from both world wars
He was trying to kill Dr. Manhattan, and the cat (Bubastis) happened to be in the way.
I've heard that this film is relatively closer to the novel than the 1976 one, and that the 2002 telefilm is in a way closer but adds more content and changes the ending.
It's difficult to totally adapt a book as some things have to be cut out.
Do you mean the romance subplot? It was put in on purpose to soften the blow of Kick-Ass being demoralized from seeing the reality of his superheroing...
The film makers wanted to show that the Death Note was corrupting Light, and Shiori's character exists for that reason.
You can argue Light is corrupted in the manga too, but the process is slower. By the end I think you can argue that Light's corrupted anyway.
Japanese licensors may not have liked that idea, because an Asian American wouldn't be "visibly foreign".
In fact Asian Americans have a hard time getting foreign English teacher positions in China because the Chinese want people who are visibly foreign.
I'm not sure the Japanese licensors would have wanted Light to be Asian-American - from their perspective "Death Note" is supposed to be a foreign adaptation and they probably would have wanted Light to be visibly foreign (White).
It is a good point that Seattle has a lot of Asian Americans, so would have made Mia Asian-American - Since Watari was going to be Japanese (I don't know if he's a Japanese citizen or Japanese American in the US film), I would have made Mia of another heritage or mix (Chinese/Korean/Filipina and/or Vietnamese) and/or adopted by a white family (think Stephanie Vandergosh from Better Luck Tomorrow).
Page turner...
You may have a beef with the Japanese property owners of Death Note. I'm not sure if they had a hand in deciding casting (directly or indirectly) but since this is supposed to be an American adaptation of Death Note they may have wished that white Americans have most of the roles/the lead role/etc. From their perspective it would be pointless to make them all "Japanese" over again.
Yes, East Asians do have that attitude towards Asian Americans: in China it's difficult for Asian Americans to get jobs as foreign English teachers because the locals want someone who looks visibly foreign.
I do think it would have been nice to have, say, Mia be Asian (but perhaps of another descent) since Seattle is very heavily Asian.
Living in China I understand it's hard for Asian Americans to get teaching jobs there because the locals want foreign English teachers who look visibly foreign. What may be going on is that the Japanese property owners possibly wanted somebody who is a "visible foreigner" and therefore a white guy at the helm.
Paul Nakauchi is, in all probability, of Japanese origins, and he plays Watari.
The American version was probably made so the balance of the characters reflected US demographics. From a Japanese standpoint, Watari was a "foreign" character (the UK is a long way from Japan), so to make Watari different in the English-speaking world they made him ethnic Japanese in the US film (I haven't seen the US film yet, so I don't know if Watari is supposed to be Japanese-American or a Japanese citizen). They may also have chosen to make him ethnic Japanese to refer to the property's origins in Japan.
The Aiber and Wedy characters don't exist at all in the U.S. film. I think one of the complaints about it was that it had too many characters/plot points, so I don't see how adding Aiber and Wedy would be feasible.
BTW I personally would have made Mia Asian (of a non-Japanese origin and/or adopted) considering Seattle does have a large Asian American population.