In case you are wondering, I *did* see the original 1950 "D.O.A." movie years ago, and I remember that I enjoyed it. Much more so than this unnecessary remake. While it's not the worst remake I have seen, it is burdened by flaws that will be noticeable to even those who haven't seen the original version. For one thing, there is the portrayal of the central protagonist. He comes across as a kind of a jerk both before he is poisoned as well as when he knows he is dying and is trying to figure out who the culprit is. Another problem with the movie is that it is pretty easy to figure out who the culprit is as well as that person's motives - all you have to do is look at who is near the top of the cast billing and realize that that certain person seems to have no other purpose in the movie. The direction is stylish and effective at times, but more often than not it is loud and garish, and ends up being very distracting. Even if you dislike black and white movies (unlike myself), this is definitely one time where you'd be more satisfied with the original movie rather than this remake.

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.

D.O.A has a good premise, borrowed from a 1950 film of the same name and a 1969 film entitled Color Me Dead. But beyond the premise it fails to develop into anything worthwhile. The script mistakes ludicrousness for cleverness; the directors peculiarly seem to think they're making a pop video rather than a film; and Dennis Quaid puts on a weird grin and raises his eyebrows maniacally as if he's auditioning as a Jack Nicholson impersonator. It's good for a laugh but, since that wasn't the original intention, it's hard to rate this as a worthwhile film.English lecturer Dexter Cornell (Quaid) is a bitter, bored shell of a man. Formerly a great author, he never recovered from the critical failure of his fourth and final novel and vowed never to write again. Without the drive of writing to fill his life, he gave up on everything else too, including his marriage and his dedication to the job. When pupil Nick Lang (Rob Knepper) apparently commits suicide after handing in an assignment, Cornell hits the booze to get over the shock. But soon thereafter, he learns that he has drunk a slow-acting poison, and that within 48 hours he will be dead. So close to death, he finally finds a renewed purpose in being alive.... as, aided by student Sydney Fuller (Meg Ryan), he desperately attempts to solve his own "murder".It's such a good idea that one can hardly imagine how it could fail. But it does. It really, really does fail in a big way. All the pointlessly fancy camera angles, all the inappropriate musical scoring, and especially the jaw-droppingly stupid solution to the mystery, conspire to ruin the film. D.O.A stands for "Dead On Arrival", and that's the perfect adjectival phrase for the entire film. Some day, this wonderful idea for a film might be used once again to better effect, but for now you'd be best advised to stick with the 1950 version.

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.