Writing credits (WGA) (in credits order) Alan Trustman (story) (as Alan R. Trustman)
Leslie Dixon (screenplay) & Kurt Wimmer (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order) verified as complete Pierce Brosnan .... Thomas Crown Rene Russo .... Catherine Banning Denis Leary .... Detective Michael McCann Ben Gazzara .... Andrew Wallace Frankie Faison .... Detective Paretti Fritz Weaver .... John Reynolds the thomas crown affair (dvd)
i can't say that i'm a big fan of remakes, especially when the original film doesn't really demand one. There are a few exceptions around - off the top of my head (and looking at my video collection behind me), I can name examples of both good and bad - The Birdcage pretty much improves upon the original (called 'La Cage aux Folles and not really known outside of France) and the mediocre Gone in 60 Seconds (based on the original of the same name) is frankly uneccessary.
The Thomas Crown Affair remake is, I'm happy to say, an improvement over the original film (also of the same name). Orginally starring in the main roles were Steve
McQueen and Faye Dunaway (the millionaire Thomas Crown and insurance specialist Catherine Banning respectively); in the remake we have Pierce Brosnan and the very lovely Rene Russo being directed by the very competent director of Die Hard, John McTiernen.
Most people will know the basics of the plot - bored billionaire Crown spices up his life by half-inching very expensive works of art in a variety of intricate ways and is subsequently pursued (in more ways than one) by the pretty fearsome (it has to be said) insurance underwriter, Banning and the hapless police detective Michael McGann (played in the remake by the excellent Dennis Leary). Therefore, the stage is set for some cat and mouse games between Crown and Banning, not to mention the simmering romantic interest that pretty much dominates the second half of the film. In facxt, the heist motif of the film takes second place to the increasingly sexual chemistry between Crown and Banning.
This is a very 90's remake of a very 60's film. Brosnan plays the role of billionaire superbly (with more than a nod to Donald Trump) - racing yachts, flying gliders and jetting off to Caribbean hideaways in between buying and selling entire corporations without blinking - and is obviously very comfortable in the role. He plays Crown as very materialistic, but also as someone who has reached the pinnacle of what he set out to achive and is obviously bored with making money. Brosnan has made the role of James Bond one of the suavest yet and it rubs off in this role too. Armani and understated wealth is very much the theme. Russo plays the role of insurance investigator and is pretty much a cast iron bitch for the first half of the film. That isn't meant to sound derogatory - it's what the role demands and she does it well. It's more impressive though, to see her go from the hard-nosed investrigator who's only out to get her 5% of the item through to the confused woman who realises that she's fallen in love with the thief she's out to get.
Although Denis Leary is only in a supporting role and a comdedic one at that, he's very watchable as the honest and very down to earth detective, who when it boils down to it, is only doing his job and has no personal feelings towards Crown other than catching him. Watch his reaction as he tries to search Crown house and encounters the statue in the hallway; he's a man who has little truck with the wealthy and what he regards as the games that Crown and banning are playing.
The direction of the film is also prett good. McTiernan keeps the film short and to the point as a legacy of his previous action movies and so the film moves on a at a fair clip. The set pieces are done very slickly - the initial heist, Banning's pursuit and her introductions to the life she could enjoy if she.........bu that would be telling, wouldn't it ? If you haven't seen the film then you'll almost certainly guess how the film will end but will enjoy it nontheless.
For my part, I really enjoyed the portrayal of how the other half lives - I WANT the gliders and the life that Crown has ! Not to mention Rene Russo...grrrr.
The DVD comes with a fairly decent set of extras - two music videos and a documentary - but the best is the commentary from the director. Watch the film without it and then again with it and its almost as enjoyable. McTiernan gives interesting tidbits away about the film and how certain shots are directed (how Brosnan got drunk during multiple takes of one scene, and the use of the same car McQueen drove in Bullit in another).
I'd recommend this DVD to anyone who enjoys a polished bit of cinema. You may not watch it more than a few times, but I think you'll come back to it again and again if you're in the mood for a film that will keep you engrossed and whiling away the hours.
Charles Keating (I) .... Friedrich Golchan Mark Margolis .... Heinrich Knutzhorn Faye Dunaway .... The Psychiatrist Michael Lombard .... Proctor Robert 'Bobby' McKinley Bill Ambrozy .... Proctor Michael Bahr .... Proctor (as Michael S. Bahr) Robert D. Novak .... Proctor (as Robert Novak) Joe H. Lamb .... Proctor (as Joe Lamb) James Saito .... Paul Cheng, Mr. Crown's Butler Esther Caņadas .... Anna Knudsen/Anna Knutzhorn Mischa Hausserman .... Jimmy, Mr. Crown's Driver Daniel Oreskes .... Petru Dominic Chianese Jr. .... Dimetri Ritchie Coster .... Janos Gregg Bello .... Iggy John P. McCann .... Senior Detective Gino Lucci .... Freight Truck Driver George Christy .... Senior Museum Guard Mike Danner .... Forklift Operator James J. Archer .... J.J. the Security Guard
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For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older film be inferior ... more
to the original in almost every aspect,The Thomas Crown Affairstands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film, starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radian...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within1-2 business days...
For the Hollywood remake rule, which dictates that an update of an older film be inferior ... more
to the original in almost every aspect,The Thomas Crown Affairstands as a glorious exception. The original 1968 film, starring a dapper Steve McQueen and a radian...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting ... more
disaster - and winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly 'safe' he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless painting - in broad daylight - from one...
Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting ... more
disaster - and winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly "safe" he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless painting - in broad daylight - from on...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![The Thomas Crown Affair [DVD] [1999]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78531039.jpg "The Thomas Crown Affair [DVD] [1999]")
Oct 2nd, 2001
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