Thanks mostly to its unique premise (yes, yes, I know it's a remake, but it's still pretty unique), "D.O.A" has the strong sense of narrative propulsion and urgency that most thrillers wish to achieve, backed up by an innovative music score and effective, occasionally "distorted" cinematography. The film even has some existential depth to it; the scene where Quaid learns the news of his imminent death, runs outside, and experiences the sun, the air, the people as if it's for the first (and possibly last) time is terrific. The one flaw of the movie is the obviousness of its red herrings; it wants to be a whodunit, but the killer is not that hard to spot. Apart from that, a good movie with a good cast. Best line: - "This is kidnapping, you know" - "If I'm lucky they'll give me life!". *** out of 4.

The original D.O.A. had one of the all-time classic premises of Film Noir: man investigates his own murder after he is poisoned. This perfectly encapsulated the Film Noir world: creeping doom, hidden motivations, danger around every corner, and the everyday, ordinary man whose world is turned upside down and thrown into confusion and horror. To the ultimate level, in fact: his world is coming to an end and there is nothing he can do to alter his fate. All he can do is unravel the mystery, ensuring that he will obtain the one minimal thing he can achieve at this point, that being the answers to his fate: who killed him and why. Cold comfort, but it's all he has left at this point and he knows it, so he grabs for it with all the tenacity of a drowning man struggling for a life raft, but one which is full of holes anyway.The 1988 re-imagining keeps that general premise, but changes everything else, and for no good reason that I can determine. The newer film copies the 1950 film for about the first minute, then deviates into its own world. Setting, plot and motivations are all completely altered.We have the "Christmas heat wave", the University setting, changing of the protagonist from accountant to English professor, adding of additional murders, the Crazy Glue on the arm bit (a bit of The Defiant Ones there) and a good chunk of Chinatown lifted wholesale, as well as a few bits taken from Citizen Kane. Well, if you're going to steal, steal from the best, so I can't dock them too much on that score. There's also the addition of Meg Ryan as occasional helper and romantic interest, something which weakens the notion in the original where the doomed hero must figure out everything for himself.The film was directed by Max Headroom creators/directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, helmers a little later of the justifiably excoriated Super Mario Brothers: The Movie. Note the Max Headroom tribute in the first scene at the police station where Dennis Quaid is seen on the twonky video monitor.Well, they do put together a lively action film with a lot of 1980's colors, and even a cameo from one-hit wonders Timbuk 3. Cool, like watching one of those obscure 1960's relics like The Cool Ones which features Mrs. Miller.But, that ending! You really sank the boat with that ending, people. Have to rate you at a 2 out of 10.Spoiler Alert! What happened at the end? Did he die? Isn't the whole point of the movie that he dies at the end? Otherwise, then why, for corn's sake why, is the movie even called D.O.A.? Does he just walk down the hall? Or is that a metaphorical hallway, where he "walks toward the light"?It was not clear! A little clarity would have been appreciated guys. But, if you intended that he was cleared of all charges and he just walked out of the police station, then, with all due respect, I must ask you: W T F ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The similarity between this DOA and the original is that a man has taken poison with no known cure, and with a limited time left to live, he seeks to learn why he was poisoned. Other similarities turn out to be that if you let the film take you where it takes you, it is a fast-pace and highly enjoyable thriller with very clever dialog, interesting and menacing characters, and unusual situations. This one mixes in a bit more dark humor than the 1950 version but the stories are different and the inclusion of Ryan adds zest. The direction is crisp. The supporting work by Charlotte Rampling, Daniel Stern, Jane Kaczmarek, and others is at times, amazing. I highly recommend seeing the 1988 DOA.

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.