I'm going to spoil here and I'm going to make direct comparisons to the McQueen/MacGraw original.
This is a remake so to throw shade on it for that isn't right. It cannot reinvent too much without affecting the plot. And it tries it's best to do so - stock car magnate here, a dog track heist not a bank job, more integral part for the Carol McCoy character in all the killing.
Now that said, it is inferior. In some ways it is superior though.
Inferior - - No minimalist Quincy Jones soundtrack. A standard 90s bombardment of sound when it isn't needed. - Baldwin isn't McQueen. Charm, yes. Inherent danger, no. - The shoot out with the small town sheriffs is a brilliant sequence in the original. Here it has no momentum or flow of brilliance.
Superior - - The cruel relationship between Rudy and The Vet's wife is portrayed here better. Jennifer Tilly was a perfect casting. The original was just too cold-blooded. - The finale in the hotel. Having Basinger play more of an equal footing was a good choice.
For what the original loses in 70s pacing and now "out-of-time" plot choices, the remake gains some ground back.
I'd recommend the original but I wouldn't dissuade if folks want to watch this one. It was overly maligned due to the real-life coupling of the leads. As was the original. Both need re-examining on merit.
Review by PorterUkVIP 5BlockedParentSpoilers2020-10-02T02:53:07Z
Now this film gets a bad rap and that's unfair...
I'm going to spoil here and I'm going to make direct comparisons to the McQueen/MacGraw original.
This is a remake so to throw shade on it for that isn't right. It cannot reinvent too much without affecting the plot. And it tries it's best to do so - stock car magnate here, a dog track heist not a bank job, more integral part for the Carol McCoy character in all the killing.
Now that said, it is inferior. In some ways it is superior though.
Inferior -
- No minimalist Quincy Jones soundtrack. A standard 90s bombardment of sound when it isn't needed.
- Baldwin isn't McQueen. Charm, yes. Inherent danger, no.
- The shoot out with the small town sheriffs is a brilliant sequence in the original. Here it has no momentum or flow of brilliance.
Superior -
- The cruel relationship between Rudy and The Vet's wife is portrayed here better. Jennifer Tilly was a perfect casting. The original was just too cold-blooded.
- The finale in the hotel. Having Basinger play more of an equal footing was a good choice.
For what the original loses in 70s pacing and now "out-of-time" plot choices, the remake gains some ground back.
I'd recommend the original but I wouldn't dissuade if folks want to watch this one. It was overly maligned due to the real-life coupling of the leads. As was the original. Both need re-examining on merit.
7/10