D.O.A. (1988)

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

In the original, the main character and the premise are established in a few minutes. The plot moves along briskly and as O'Brien tries to find out who did it and why, you are as interested to learn the answers as he is.Here, for more than half an hour you have no idea what the picture is all about; at one point it crossed my mind that it might not be any sort of remake at all. How is this half hour spent? In establishing that Quaid's character is someone who could live or die and you couldn't care less either way.Learning form other reviewers that the denouement is a colossal letdown comes as no surprise; I couldn't say myself because I couldn't be bothered to watch it through.Meg Ryan is gorgeous and Quaid gives a solid performance, but apart from that it is hard to find much good to say about this.

This remake of the 1950 classic film noir of the same name cleverly utilises a combination of old and new elements to create an entertaining thriller which, although designed for 1980s moviegoers, still has a strong appeal to contemporary audiences.Fans of the original will particularly appreciate the fact that the basic premise of the story has been retained and will also enjoy the black and white sequences at the beginning and end of the movie which provide a stylish homage to Rudolph Mate's film. Those not familiar with the original will also find it an enjoyable mystery which involves murder, jealousy, campus politics and a very unusual motive for murder.University professor Dexter (Dex) Cornell (Dennis Quaid) goes into a police station to report his own murder and as his story is recorded on video tape, it becomes clear that he's been poisoned with a slow acting substance which left him with less than 48 hours to track down his killer and to find out why anyone would want to murder him.Dex had written some successful novels but when writer's block set in, he'd become disillusioned and progressively lost interest in what he was doing. His despair became even greater when one of his most talented students, Nick Lang (Robert Knepper) died after falling from a high building and his wife Gail (Jane Kaczmarek) pressed him to go ahead with action to speed up their divorce. Dexter then reacted by seeking consolation in the local bars where he met Sydney Fuller (Meg Ryan) who was one of his students who had a crush on him. The couple then got drunk together and went back to Sydney's place.Next morning when Dex woke up feeling ill, he knew he was suffering from something more serious than a hangover and checks at a local clinic confirmed that he'd been poisoned. There was no antidote which could help his condition and so, knowing that he didn't have long to live, he decided to visit Gail who had been involved in an affair with Nick. When Dex found her dead body, the police immediately suspected him of murdering both her and Nick. Dex took an opportunity to escape from the police and then decided to force Sydney to go with him to the places they'd visited the previous night, to try to discover who'd murdered him.During Dex's frantic race against time he learned more about Nick's complicated family background and together with Sydney escaped the attentions of a vicious assailant who pursued them with a nail gun. The identity of the murderer surprises Dex but the motive proves to be even more shocking.Directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel employ an interesting combination of stylistic influences which work together very effectively. The use of high and low angle shots, close-ups and tilted camera angles are also especially successful as they reflect the sense of chaos and confusion which prevails through certain passages of the action.This is a film which features good performances from Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan and Charlotte Rampling and has a premise which gives its story a natural sense of pace and urgency. Add to this a number of twists and numerous moments of suspense and humour and the final result is an intriguing mystery which is great fun to watch.

I'm a fan of the 1950's original and about 20 minutes into this remake I started to think this was going to be as good as the original but it wasn't. The motive for the murders was incredibly stupid. Two of the lovers in the movie turn out to be brother and sister-excuse me while I barf. The main character stops in the middle of the movie to have sex which doesn't make sense considering the situation he's in. If the film makers wanted a sex scene they should have put it earlier in the movie before the main character (Dexter played by Dennis Quaid found he's about to die and that he's accused of a crime. There is a reason for where the sex scene is at. Early in the movie Dexter isn't living life to the fullest so he's not interested in sleeping with Meg Ryan. I still feel it would make more sense for the sex scene to have either been cut or earlier in the film and the two siblings not to have been lovers.One of the dumbest parts of the movie involves a gun fight, a couple people getting killed and one person being run over all within 15 yards of a crowded carnival and yet NOBODY AT THE CARNIVAL NOTICES!!! Also in the scene is the tar pits the university where the movie takes place is built on. If you fall into the tar you sink to the bottom and in a matter of seconds. Not only is it hard to believe stuff would sink that fast in tar, but more importantly who builds a university on tar pits. I would say more about how stupid the end of the movie is but I don't want to put a spoiler in my post.

This review contains a partial spoiler.Shallow from the outset, 'D.O.A.' at least starts as if it might be a slick, entertaining piece of nonsense like Fincher's 'The Game'. It's central character(Dennis Quaid) suffers from a nightmarish sequence of events that appear to be setting up a twisted and cunning thriller. But the plot rattles along at too great a pace, leading to a dramatic twist not half way through, when the character learns that he has been poisoned and has only 1-2 days to live. And this, simply, is too big a twist to add casually to a story. Once this has happened, the film's only chance of success is if it treats the psychology of someone in this situation as its principal, indeed, its only subject matter: but 'D.O.A.' continues as if this was just a normal revelation like any other you might usually encounter in a thriller. The problem is two-fold: firstly, Quaid's actions don't convince as what someone is his situation would be likely to do; and secondly, even if they did convince, it's hard to care about what happens next when the most significant point of plot has already been prematurely resolved. The rest of the film is pretty standard fare for a film of this sort, but made more tedious than usual by the character's slightly-treated predicament, which logically dwarfs the events the film is interested in. Dennis Quaid, in the lead role, doesn't convince either as a burnt out professor or as a man who is destined to die: Meg Ryan is, as often, ditzy and annoying. Another negative feature is the ugly 80s soundtrack. Watch 'The Game' instead, which from similar roots remains tight and character-driven, whereas 'D.O.A.' drifts into developments that only undermine its own premise. As the premise is itself quite intriguing, it's a shame to see it drowned in a surplus of over-cooked plot.