Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth in The Lady from Shanghai.
On the surface, John Wick: Chapter 2 and The LEGO Batman Movie, both opening this weekend, would seem to have little in common with each other, let alone with the work of Orson Welles.
But both movies reportedly offer a nod to Welles’ 1948 thriller The Lady From Shanghai.
Early reviews of both new movies reveal each film features a scene based on The Lady From Shanghai’s climactic hall of mirrors shootout between Rita Hayworth and Everett Sloane.
In John Wick: Chapter 2, a R-rated action flick with Keanu Reeves, The New Yorker‘s Richard Brody noted there is a long set piece in an art museum, which is based on the mirror-maze shoot-out. Critic Al Alexander of More Content Now says the animated, family-friendly The LEGO Batman Movie has the Caped Crusader becoming lost and under fire in a hall of mirrors.
Of course, this is not the first time a filmmaker has copied, parodied or paid tribute to Welles’ memorable scene.
Most notably, Woody Allen saluted the film with his stylish Manhattan Murder Mystery back in 1993.
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