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Viggo Mortensen in Psycho

Viggo Mortensen in Psycho

Release: 1998

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer(s): Joseph Stefano (screenplay)
Based on: novel by Robert Bloch

Runtime: 105 min

MCAA Rating: R for violence and sexuality/nudity

Websites:
 IMDb
 Open Directory


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Psycho Cast and Crew

Viggo Mortensen: Samuel 'Sam' Loomis

Other leading roles:
Vince Vaughn: Norman Bates
Anne Heche: Marion Crane
Julianne Moore: Lila Crane

Psycho Synopsis

This color remake of Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 black and white classic closely follows the plot of the original. Marion Crane is killed in the shower of the Bates Motel, and Normal Bates is acting very suspicious. Viggo plays Crane's boyfriend.

Psycho Soundtrack

Danny Elfman & others reproduced the original 1960 Psycho soundtrack.
1. Prelude [Film Score] - Danny Elfman
2. Living Dead Girl - Rob Zombie
3. Once Is Not Enough - Howie B
4. Psycho - Teddy Thompson
5. Screaming - Pet Shop Boys
6. Psycho Future
7. Honeymoon Suite
8. Murder [Film Score] - Danny Elfman
9. Madhouse
10. Psycho Killer
11. All of My Life - Steve Earle
12. Fly
13. In the End - Lionrock
14. Finale [Film Score] - Danny Elfman

Psycho Articles & Interviews

Leave it to Viggo - Black Book, December 1998
Viggo Mortensen speaks briefly about how he chooses his film roles, and on recreating Psycho. Excerpt: "It was a good blueprint," he says regarding Van Sant's decision to be faithful to the original 1960 thriller in script, score, and marketing. "If you're going to do a remake of a movie, this is the one to do it with because the formula works so well."   [Viggo-Works]   [Brego.net]

Sensitive side of Psycho - Chicago Sun-Times, December 16, 1998
Viggo Mortensen describes his upcoming role in the Psycho remake, and shares plans for upcoming art showings, books and music.

Director: Gus Van Sant - The Onion A.V. Club, March 5, 2003
The director speaks about shooting in Death Valley and the state of American independent film. The most interesting part for Viggo fans comes in the last few paragraphs, where he discusses Psycho: "When we were shooting it, Viggo Mortensen and I were talking about the next one. We were going to do a black Psycho, a punk-rock Psycho... Viggo knows all the punk rockers, so he had some ideas about how to pull it off."

Psycho Movie Resources

MovieWeb logoMovieWeb: Psycho - Basic background information plus half a dozen nice high-resolution still shots from the film, unfortunately none of them including Viggo.
Official Psycho Website - Universal Studios' official Psycho site includes film clips and trailers, stills and screensavers, brief cast biographies.
Viggo Mortensen in PsychoVal's Screencaps: Viggo Mortensen in Psycho - Around 80 screen captures of Viggo Mortensen as Sam Loomis in Psycho. Mostly full-screen, some cropped. Larger than the average screencap.

Psycho Movie Reviews

Vince Vaughn as Norman Bates in Psycho'Psycho': Play it Again, Gus - CNN reviewer Paul Tatara is disturbed by the Psycho remake: "What this movie actually is, when all is said and done, is a beautifully orchestrated sham." and "It's a real shame to see such a solid cast doing something so thoroughly misguided. They're all 'good,' if that's the word you want to use, but good at what, exactly."
3.5 stars for PsychoDustin's Review: Psycho 1998 - Finally, a critic who likes the Psycho remake! Dustin Putman suggests that it is "just about as good of a remake as could have possibly been expected," and "a startling success, a film that is impressive in almost every department." He is particularly taken with the cast, including Viggo: "Viggo Mortensen, as Marion's boyfriend, taking over for John Gavin, also does a full 180 degree turn on the character, giving him a cowboy attitude." Rating: 3.5/4 stars.
Viggo Mortensen and Julianne Moore in PsychoFilms of Viggo Mortensen: Psycho - Well-written review by Colleen Wallace pans Psycho: "I rented Psycho, 1998' in the hope of seeing Mortensen and Julianne Moore update Sam Loomis and Lila Crane and instead was treated to good actors wearing bad costumes, strangled by a dated script." She goes on to say, "[Viggo] manages to have some fun in the opening scene, ... playing Sam as a guy with an exhibitionistic streak flying into town for a stolen moment with his sweetheart. Too bad Heche's Marion isn't more of a fun date."
Psycho - Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times gives the Psycho remake 1.5/5 stars: "[Psycho] demonstrates that a shot-by-shot remake is pointless; genius apparently resides between or beneath the shots, or in chemistry that cannot be timed or counted." Even Viggo is panned: "Viggo Mortensen is also wrong for Sam Loomis, the lover. Instead of suggesting a straight arrow like John Gavin in the original film, he brings an undertow of elusive weirdness."
Rob's Reviews: Psycho - Yet another pan from reviewer Rob Gonsalves rips apart the remake of Psycho. Viggo earns a dubious mention: "William H. Macy and Viggo Mortensen bring little to the party. They're in the same boat as their director, who's too intent on duplicating Hitch's set-ups to show his usual mindful touch with actors."