D.O.A. (1988)

I think when Quaid and Ryan were married and their chemistry on screen is terrific in a terrific story remade from an even better earlier film from the 40's, I understand. This DOA is just different enough to make it interesting to watch. Yes in places this updated version of DOA drags almost to the point where I got bored. There are more than a music club scenes in DOA that seem to be thrown in just to get lots of use the club set. The music is loud but nothing special. This revamped DOA is more of a who done it and valid suspects are plentiful. The characters are well acted an interesting. The original DOA did a far better job of telling you time was of the essence. This DOA uses a contemporary theme of a cheating wife, questionable associates and scheming students to create a web of suspects the main character must weed through.The film moves a mile-a-minute, with people getting knocked over the head with things, people chasing through tar pits, and of course a short episode at the compulsory carnival. Seems like suspense movies from the 1980's until the mid-1990's always have a scene where the protagonist is stumbling through a carnival or bizarre of some sort late in the evening to add to his already dazed-and-confused condition. Some of the action is a bit unbelievable but what saves it are the fine performances of all the leads, particularly Quaid who keeps you wanting to find out with him what is really going on. Certainly not the best movie of its type, but it has a look and feel all its own.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Someone poisoned named Dexter Cornell (Dennis Quaid as an unsettling college professor) and he's got to find out who . He's got to find out why . He's got to find out now . In 24 hours, he'll be Dead On Arrival. He along with a friend student (Meg Ryan) frantically seek who is responsible and why he was targeted for death . His search for the suspect is further complicated by the fact that he is being sought by the police on phony charges of killing .Mediocre remake of the 1949 Noir film that contains thrills , suspense , a complex intrigue and plot twists . The starring , Dennis Quaid , relates his own lethal murder become himself in detective and spend his ending moments trying to uncover his hit men . As his time runs out,he has only hours to identify , he desperately seeks to discover who is responsible his death . The search for the suspect is further complicated by the facts of numerous turns , deceits and a twisted intrigue . Passable acting by Dennis Quaid as a teacher becomes embroiled in a series of murders involving people around him and supported by Meg Ryan as a likable but reluctant student , both of whom married after shooting , though nowadays are separated themselves. Supporting cast in frankly enjoyable , such as Charlotte Rampling , Daniel Stern , Jane Kaczmarek , Christopher Neame , Robert Knepper , Jay Patterson and the deceased Brion James . Colorful cinematography throughout the story , the color in the film begins to drain to monochrome, thus representing the central character's deteriorating health as the poison steadily takes it's toll until it is in black and white as in the opening - presumably showing the flashback catching up to the current time-line of the story . Screeching and inappropriate musical score composed by means of synthesizer .The motion picture was middlingly directed by Rocky Morton ans Annabel Jenkel , the same people who brought ¨Max Headrom¨to TV series . This story results to be a remake from ¨DOA¨ (1969) a dark B-thriller directed by Rudolph Mate with Edmond O'Brien , Luther Adler and Pamela Britton . It was also followed by a inferior remake as ¨Color me dead¨(1969) by Eddie Davis with Tom Tryon , Carolyn Jones and Rick Jason

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.

Well.. (Meg Ryan) was fabulous.. I've always dreamed of a similar classmate or mate !, she was at the top of her loveliness, tenderness, sexiness. (Dennis Quaid) was at the top too.. He did some unforgettable efforts to the extent that I believed how he was this grieved sarcastic professor. (Annabel Jankal) & (Rocky Morton) made a fine job to sense the oddity of the moment through solidly suspenseful atmosphere.In fact I'm crazy about such a plot which can make the whole world collapses on the head of its hero in only one or two days whatever the genre is (Die Hard, 1941, Before Sunset, Hallo Dolly.. etc). Here it's the perfect thriller : How to find the one who killed YOU in just less than 48 hours ?!!! I said a genuine WAW when I knew that it had been done firstly at 1950 !, it's a great formula for strong noir, sharp thrill, and one hell of a meaning too because – as in here - when you're living in a world has no trust in it among society of unfaithful people to discover eventually that your closest friend is the one who planned to kill you..Then definitely you're dying ! But I think this movie altogether didn't deliver ALL of this that well ..Why?It's technically glaring but maybe the script cared basically for making hot pursuits and chases more than strengthening the deep concept about the end of a guiltless guy in such horrific dark world where perfidy rules, or the poisoning of the intellectual in this savagely violent community where money owns souls. Actually the types of people which the movie presented didn't express that important motif. However it seemed generally like an elegy of our modern life and its message was unmistakable especially with the main character at the end living his death literally : Try to find the ones whom really love you, try to do the right thing by finding and facing the truth early enough before it destroys you or others, and to be that active, cautious not that blind all the time.. Or should I say all the time you've got !I'm in love with some scenes where everything was quite perfect : (Quaid) knows that he's going to die so he runs in the streets like a shadow with a screamer electronic guitar.. It was how to define "helpless" cinematically, the song at the bar (Too Much Sex, Not Enough Affection) by (Timbuk. J) which refers to the absorption in materialism plus this whole scene and the smile of (Meg Ryan) at its end too, the moment when the wealthy wife finds out about the suicide of the student. It was fair work and what a sweet adventure they all done (the crew, the actors, ..etc), there are interesting image and sound along the way and some talents behind them made (D.O.A) a worth watching experiment.All in all it's about being alive indeed not to be dead and alive in the same time, AND that had been said in a movie was so alive at action and suspense however not that alive intellectually, and finally it's alive work but close to dead when it comes to appreciate its real amusing time.