Today, Paul Schrader's "The Dying Of The Light" opens in cinemas, but here's the thing — he doesn't want you to see it. He has claimed he was locked out of the editing room and unable to deliver the cut he wanted, yet the film is going out with Schrader's name but not his support. Is this a case of an auteur's vision being egregiously wrestled away from him or differences of opinion on details of structure and style? It would appear it's more the latter than the former.
In their review of the film published today, Film Comment has the unique perspective of having seen both the released version of the movie and apparently Schrader's workprint cut. What of changes made? Well first, let's recap the basic premise: starring Nicolas Cage, Anton Yelchin and Irene Jacob, the film follows a veteran CIA agent Evan Lake, who is fighting dementia and is forced into retirement. But before the disease takes over his brain, Evan decides to track down his old nemesis, a terrorist...
