The Thomas Crown Affair
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(original vs. remake)

I hate it when Hollywood rehashes films, so I must say that at
least the remake is not a total rehash.  These are two very different
films, each with its own feel.  The action is between a tricky man of
means and a crafty female insurance investigator who suspects him of
theft.  The original (1968, with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway) is
fairly gritty, tough and gutsy, a story of cat and mouse where only
one player can win.

The new version (1999, with Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo) reads
like a modern-day fairy tale. Pierce is a clever boy with toys,
looking for a worthy-adversary playmate for keeps. The remake is
a fun film and I must give the 1.5 second shot of Pierce's hinder
a thumbs-up, unless that was his stunt buttock double. Though I
must say that the original classic sexy chess game beats the
scrog-a-delic shag-a-thon scenes in the remake (I think that they
did the nasty on every available surface in the place and even
cleared off a few desks, tables, and nightstands. Whee!).

The robbery scenes in both films are quite tasty and well done.
There is also a classic scene in the original involving McQueen's
"disposal" of a vice cop that is shadowing him. The original also
has the Norman Jewison split-screen trademark, where you can see the
action of six robbers at once, like a collage. Some people think
this is really annoying and kindof 60's Name-of-the Game cheesy,
but I dig it, baby. Forgot to say that the remake is so fluffy as
to have invented a palatable explanation for Pierce's young female
"dancing" companion <gak>.  Both films are worth seeing, especially
for the compare/ contrast factor.