A review by Brooks Rich
There's a general rule in Hollywood. Most remakes are garbage. There's sometimes no need to remake a property when the original exists and is a perfectly fine movie. But there are some exceptions and today we're looking at one, the remake McTiernan made that worked as opposed to the disaster that is Rollerball. (Azzam will explore that one for us.) Now what's interesting is Rollerball should be a remake that works as the original is more of a forgotten cult film as opposed to remaking a beloved film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. I like the original but in my opinion this film is far superior.
Pierce Brosnan, the only times he's ever cooler than he is in this is when he's playing the world's most famous spy, is Thomas Crown, an eccentric billionaire bored with the day to day routine of his life. He steals a painting by Monet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art just for the thrill of it. Insurance agent Catherine Banning, a stunning Rene Russo, is soon on his trail and the two begin a playful game of cat and mouse.
Make no mistake. This is not an action packed heist film from the director of Die Hard and Predator. This is a smart and sexy romantic caper with two actors at the top of their game. Russo is always fantastic but she takes it to another level as Banning. Brosnan is at the height of his time as James Bond and just oozes charisma. The two have fantastic chemistry together and we actually care about their relationship. Credit also has to be given to Denis Leary who plays NYPD detective Michael McCann, the main cop who is on Crown's trail. It could be a thankless role but Leary gives the character heart and depth.
In my opinion this is McTiernan's best film next to the one two punch of Predator and Die Hard. The shots inside the museum are fantastic and the glider scene is beautifully photographed. But the real set piece is at the end where Crown pulls off his inal heist set to Sinnerman by Nina Simone. It's a stunning sequence and shows how good of a director McTiernan is. The man knows how to set up an action scene, even if there's no gunplay or explosions.
If you've never seen his film, track it down immediately. This is one of the films that is just cool. It's a fun ride and is the last time McTiernan was really at the top of his game, as after this Rollerball and Basic would be misses.
There's a general rule in Hollywood. Most remakes are garbage. There's sometimes no need to remake a property when the original exists and is a perfectly fine movie. But there are some exceptions and today we're looking at one, the remake McTiernan made that worked as opposed to the disaster that is Rollerball. (Azzam will explore that one for us.) Now what's interesting is Rollerball should be a remake that works as the original is more of a forgotten cult film as opposed to remaking a beloved film starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. I like the original but in my opinion this film is far superior.
Pierce Brosnan, the only times he's ever cooler than he is in this is when he's playing the world's most famous spy, is Thomas Crown, an eccentric billionaire bored with the day to day routine of his life. He steals a painting by Monet from the Metropolitan Museum of Art just for the thrill of it. Insurance agent Catherine Banning, a stunning Rene Russo, is soon on his trail and the two begin a playful game of cat and mouse.
Make no mistake. This is not an action packed heist film from the director of Die Hard and Predator. This is a smart and sexy romantic caper with two actors at the top of their game. Russo is always fantastic but she takes it to another level as Banning. Brosnan is at the height of his time as James Bond and just oozes charisma. The two have fantastic chemistry together and we actually care about their relationship. Credit also has to be given to Denis Leary who plays NYPD detective Michael McCann, the main cop who is on Crown's trail. It could be a thankless role but Leary gives the character heart and depth.
In my opinion this is McTiernan's best film next to the one two punch of Predator and Die Hard. The shots inside the museum are fantastic and the glider scene is beautifully photographed. But the real set piece is at the end where Crown pulls off his inal heist set to Sinnerman by Nina Simone. It's a stunning sequence and shows how good of a director McTiernan is. The man knows how to set up an action scene, even if there's no gunplay or explosions.
If you've never seen his film, track it down immediately. This is one of the films that is just cool. It's a fun ride and is the last time McTiernan was really at the top of his game, as after this Rollerball and Basic would be misses.
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