By Jamie Kennett
The last in my line of Rockstar Games productions, Red Dead Redemption is the classic tale of a reformed man going on an against-all-odds quest to right all his previous wrongs and set his former life to rest. Staged as a Western, against the staggeringly beautiful backdrop of the American southwest and northern Mexico, it’s set in the summer of 1911 as the Old West enters its death throes.
The last in my line of Rockstar Games productions, Red Dead Redemption is the classic tale of a reformed man going on an against-all-odds quest to right all his previous wrongs and set his former life to rest. Staged as a Western, against the staggeringly beautiful backdrop of the American southwest and northern Mexico, it’s set in the summer of 1911 as the Old West enters its death throes.
John Marston, a former outlaw in the infamous Dutch Van Der Linde Gang, has been going straight for three years. He abandoned his former life after being left to die by his fellow gang members in a botched robbery in 1908, and since then has lived on his ranch with wife Abigail and teenage son John “Jack” Jr. His old life comes back to haunt him when, in 1911, his family is suddenly abducted by the Bureau of Investigation. Federal agents essentially hold his wife and son hostage, and to gain their freedom John is ordered to head for the state of New Austin (a fictionalised version of Texas and parts of Nevada/California) to find and kill his old colleague Bill Williamson, who has since formed his own gang amidst a decaying Mexican War-era fort. A simple assignment turns into an epic quest as John is sent back-and-forth across the southwest, in-and-out of Mexico, and up into the American mid-west on a hunt for his former friends.
Re-using my argument for Grand Theft Auto IV, purely because it was written by the same people, the story of Red Dead is reason enough to adapt it into a film. There have already been talks of doing just this, but evidently there have been no plans made as of yet. I propose not just one film, but a trilogy, given the scale of John Marston’s quest. The first film would revolve around his exploits in 'Texas', the second instalment would pick up where the first would leave off; John arriving in northern Mexico. The third film would of course feature the climax of the story, and its subsequent epilogue, which just so happens to be one of the finest pieces of video game writing I’ve yet to experience, if not the finest. So I’m suggesting a Lord of the Rings kind of treatment for Red Dead Redemption, it’s definitely worthy of it in my honest opinion.
Re-using my argument for Grand Theft Auto IV, purely because it was written by the same people, the story of Red Dead is reason enough to adapt it into a film. There have already been talks of doing just this, but evidently there have been no plans made as of yet. I propose not just one film, but a trilogy, given the scale of John Marston’s quest. The first film would revolve around his exploits in 'Texas', the second instalment would pick up where the first would leave off; John arriving in northern Mexico. The third film would of course feature the climax of the story, and its subsequent epilogue, which just so happens to be one of the finest pieces of video game writing I’ve yet to experience, if not the finest. So I’m suggesting a Lord of the Rings kind of treatment for Red Dead Redemption, it’s definitely worthy of it in my honest opinion.
Let us remember the important thing though, Red Dead is for all intents and purposes a Western, and Westerns are popular right now. They may have gradually waned in popularity during the 80s and 90s, in the wake of the Spaghetti Western’s demise, but a new breed of Western has emerged over the past decade and Red Dead would fit in very nicely amongst films like True Grit, 3:10 to Yuma and of course Django Unchained.
Red Dead is a game that I hold in the same regard as GTA; I’ve often fantasised about the possibilities of a film adaptation whilst playing it. So much have I thought about it that I’ve even contributed to forums regarding the cast of the films should they ever be made. By popular demand, Russell Crowe is one of the contenders to play John Marston, as is Josh Brolin. Both could pull off the character equally well with the Gary Cooper-style strong, silent, ruggedness they’re able to bring forth in certain pictures.
Red Dead is a game that I hold in the same regard as GTA; I’ve often fantasised about the possibilities of a film adaptation whilst playing it. So much have I thought about it that I’ve even contributed to forums regarding the cast of the films should they ever be made. By popular demand, Russell Crowe is one of the contenders to play John Marston, as is Josh Brolin. Both could pull off the character equally well with the Gary Cooper-style strong, silent, ruggedness they’re able to bring forth in certain pictures.
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