I realize that this film takes place in medieval France and The Jack Bull takes place in the Wild West, but the plots seem almost identical. A horse trader is wronged by a rich land owner and must seek justice with a private army. In the end the provincial government punishes the land owner repays the damaged horse and hangs the hero as a rebel outlaw after putting an end to the skirmishes.
shareI don't know about TJB but Michael Kohlhaas is based on the novella of Heinrich von Kleist from 1811 of the same title.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Kohlhaas-Novella-Heinrich-Kleist/dp/09 76140721/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382695481&sr=1-1& amp;keywords=michael+kohlhaas
Will Graham: I don't find you that interesting.
Hannibal Lecter: You will.
On Wikipedia it says that Jack Bull was based loosely on Michael Kohlhaas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Kohlhaas#Influence
I was a few minutes ago watching the trailer for this, mostly because of its star Mads Mikkelsen. I'm a huge fan of his work ever since he played the villain in the first Bond reboot, Casino Royale. As I watched the trailer for this movie, I recalled immediately The Jack Bull. I loved that movie, and I have the DVD of it. The similarities were too striking to be accidental. To my pleasant surprise, The Jack Bull is based on this source. It was an outstanding story, with a great cast, and it really riled me up. Mads does a great job of portraying a righteous man, so there's no doubt in my mind that he'll turn this already riveting story into something equally as engrossing as the westernized version of it. I'll be looking for it.
The thing is, I just saw the trailer at Apple, and your comment was back last October. It should become available on Netflix or something like that soon.
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Alric
Yes, it's the same story. In the end credits, the book "Michael Kohlhass" is mentioned. "The Jack Bull" featurette included on the DVD also mentions it. The screenplay was written by Dick Cusack, John Cusack's father.
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