Many, including myself, believed Brian De Palma might have retired, mostly due to his struggles to find on-set insurance because of his health — but he did recently tell Vulture about “one other film I’m planning to make,” and turns out, he wasn’t kidding.
Whether you like or dislike his late-career output, there’s no denying De Palma’s immense impact on cinema, and now comes great news, via The Film Stage, that De Palma is set to shoot “Sweet Vengeance” this summer in Portugal. If everything goes smoothly, we should expect a 2027 release for the film.
First announced in 2018, “Sweet Vengeance” is said to be “inspired by two true stories of murders” and by true-crime content: “I’m interested in how they tell the story of the crime, so I’ll do it the way [they] do on television.”
The report further adds that “Sweet Vengeance” boasts “two quintessential De Palma setpieces,” which means it’ll still retain the infectious style that has made the man one of the most influential filmmakers of the last 50 years. Further info, including casting, is expected to arrive shortly.
De Palma turned 85 this year. His last film, 2019’s “Domino,” was a critical and commercial failure. I tried to give it a rewatch recently, and although the climactic setpiece was wonderful, the rest of the film certainly wasn’t.
As far as I’m concerned, a new film from him is absolutely welcome, despite the late-career lulls that have hit him. I’ll always abide by the “church of De Palma.” He hasn’t necessarily gotten his due over the years, especially compared to his higher-profile ’70s peers — Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg. Noah Baumbach did direct a wonderful 2015 documentary (“De Palma”) that set out to reassess his career and reintroduce him to a new generation of moviegoers. I highly recommend it.
Quentin Tarantino seems to agree with the assessment, but took it one step further—only in the way he can—in ways I wouldn’t necessarily agree with. Just last year, he proclaimed De Palma to be “a more important filmmaker than Scorsese and Spielberg.” Never change, Quentin.
Throughout his career, De Palma was deemed heir to Hitchcock. You could instantly tell when you were watching one of his films. He’s indelibly known for unusual camera angles and compositions—particularly his use of split-screen, tracking shots, slow motion, and the 360-degree camera pan.
As for my favorite film of his, there are too many to choose from: “Carrie,” “Dressed to Kill,” “Blow Out,” “Scarface,” “Carlito’s Way,” “Body Double,” “The Untouchables,” “Casualties of War,” “Phantom of the Paradise,” “Mission: Impossible” … take your pick.
As far as I’m concerned, 1981’s “Blow Out” is De Palma at the height of his powers, one of the best films of the ‘80s, a masterclass in suspense and style. It’s his purest expression of his Hitchcockian influences, but filtered via his own obsessions: surveillance, voyeurism, the question of truth. John Travolta has never been better than in here. If one movie proves why De Palma belongs in the pantheon, it’s this one.