Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Robert Bloch (novel)and Joseph Stefano (screenplay)
Genre: Thriller/Horror
The Story
The classic Hitchcock horror/thriller starts with a woman who steals $40,000 from her employer and leaves town. She ends up in the Bates Motel, but never leaves. Her sister and boyfriend (not to mention her employer of course) then go looking for her in hopes that she would come to her senses and return the money. As they get closer and closer to finding out where she is or was, things begin to get more and more mysterious with the motel and the man running it, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).
Everything Else
Psycho is Hitchcock at his best. This film has all the great elements of a thriller/horror and in fact doesn't have much in the way of gore. There is actually very little blood even and that is in black an white. Rather than rely on gore and shock value, Hitchcock is able to draw you into the story and get you thinking about what is really happening. The suspense and atmosphere leading up to climactic moments is what makes this film so great.
The directing itself is clean and everything is in its exact place as you would expect from a Hitchcock film. Hitchcock made a great effort to perfect each of his films and it shows in Psycho without a doubt. The acting was also good in Psycho, particularly from Anthony Perkins who plays the weird motel manager Norman Bates. Perkins develops Bates into a very disturbed and odd man peculiar social interactions. This adds to the creepiness of the film. The acting from others was also good, but the true gold in Psycho is the directing and story.
The Real Deal
I didn't really have very high hopes for Psycho for some reason. I didn't think that it was going to be that scary or entertaining because it would be so out of date. I could not have been further from the truth. Psycho is still a great thriller/horror even today. I would not call it scary as much as suspenseful, but it does have a couple jumping moments. I absolutely loved this movie and it made me want to see other Hitchcock films again as I have not been all that impressed in the past. I particularly did not like The Birds, but now I will have to watch it again since they are making a remake. I would have to recommend Psycho to anyone who likes thrillers or fans of Hitchcock films. Not only was it a good thriller/horror, but it was even quite clean in most every respect.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 818,203
Sharon Movie? No
7/31/2008
Original: Psycho (1960)
7/28/2008
Remake Movie Month Roundup
Remake Movie Month (which has turned into a few months) has turned out pretty good aside from the fact that as usual I have not been able to get to as many as I would have liked. Below is the list so far and the comparison posts. I will be adding to this post as the theme continues.
Night of the Living Dead:
Original 1968 version 806,987
Remake 1990 version 809,445
Comparison
Draw
Dawn of the Dead:
Original 1978 version
Remake 2004 version
Comparison
Original wins
Day of the Dead:
Original 1985 version
Remake 2008 version
Comparison
Original wins
The Incredible Hulk:
Original 2003 version
Remake 2008 version
Comparison
Original wins
3:10 to Yuma:
Original 1957 version
Remake 2007 version
Comparison
Remake wins
The Manchurian Candidate:
Original 1962 version
Remake 2004 version
Comparison
Original wins
Psycho:
Original 1960 version
Remake 1998 version
Comparison
Ocean's 11:
Original 1960 version
Remake
Original vs. Remake: The Manchurian Candidate
When I first saw The Manchurian Candidate (2004) a few years, I thought it was ok, but that it seemed to lack in some area I wasn't able to place my finger on. Now, after seeing the original that this new first was based off of, it is easy to pinpoint where it was lacking. It turns out the original was not lacking in this area.
The part I am really talking about is not actually the story as much as it is the political and social climate of the society in which each film is based. The new version hinges on the Gulf War and a group of soldiers who are said to have Gulf War syndrome. There is of course a syndrome that each war brings, but some wars and political climates are more interesting than others. In this case (that is of the new one), politics and societal concerns are not much out of the ordinary and in fact seem quite plain and dull. In the original however, the political climate is all about the red scare and communism. This provides a much more interesting plot or atmosphere than the Gulf War did, not to mention that the film more closely followed actual feelings and motivations of the society.
When it comes down to it, it was not the actual plot or the acting (in fact the acting was much better in the new version) which hurt the new film, but it was how the original captured something that most people could relate to or know about where as the new mainly relied on our interest in simple politics.
This was not a tough call for me, but I like the remake even though it loses.
The Manchurian Candidate (1962) 
7/25/2008
Review Blitz #10
King of Kong A Fistful of Quarters (2007)
This movie was kind of a surprise for me. I was not expecting much and even getting into it I thought it was a mocumentary. It turns out it was more of a documentary although the makers did take a few liberties in the film. Most notably the two main characters are made out to be enemies, but it turns out in real life they are supposedly friends. I guess the makers just thought it would be more interesting if there was more conflict. It does not change how interesting they were able to make the Donkey Kong game and video game competition seem. I loved this movie even after finding out there were a few liberties taken. It was just like one of those sports movies were the underdog has prove they have what it takes, but in this case it is classic arcade game competition.
Raw Score: 765,112
Sharon Movie? Yes
The Eye (2008)
I liked this one, but even with it being somewhat scary it felt like there was a little bit lacking. Let’s face it; it is very difficult to find a scary “scary movie” these days or ever for that matter. I have only found a few that were really scary and that is with everything placed in its favor (i.e. I watch the movie alone late at night in the dark with the surround sound cranked up to make it feels like things are behind me). Nevertheless, The Eye was better than I thought it was going to be and actually ended up entertaining pretty well. Towards the end I started to lose interest though.
Raw Score: 701,212
Sharon Movie? No
The Tracey Fragments (2007)
This one is tough to rate because on the one hand I really liked it, but on the other I found it fairly annoying. The great part about it was the interesting way it was shot and edited. The screen is broken into fragments and the story is told in nonlinear fashion so it could not be much more confusing (this is great in my book, but others would argue the exact opposite I’d imagine). The part I did not like about it was the content; there was not enough inspiring or interesting content to compliment the interesting way in which it was presented. I recommend it for someone looking for something off the wall different and who won’t get too offended by crude language, sex, and violence. Oh yeah, and that witty girl from Juno is in it (she does well, but people made too big of a deal about her performance in Juno). I am interested to see what movies she turns up in the future though.
Raw Score: 724,885
Sharon Movie? No
Copycat (1995)
Let’s just say I had high hopes and shouldn’t have. This is the worst performance I have seen from Sigourney Weaver if that really means anything. I also found the movie to lack in suspense or thrills. I wanted it to be better, but it was still somewhat entertaining.
Raw Score: 582,443
Sharon Movie? No
May (2002)
Better than I expected it to be and definitely different. I thought it was about witchcraft or something, but it wasn’t really at all. May kept me interested to see what was going to happen next the whole way through. It was a little on the slow side, but the last few minutes get much more interesting. There is plenty of blood and gore and weird people, not to mention the language, sex, and violence, but it was actually well made and out of the ordinary. I was pleasantly surprised.
Raw Score: 721,857
Sharon Movie? No
7/23/2008
Remake: The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
Director: Jonathan Demme
Writer: Richard Condon (novel) and George Axelrod (1962 screenplay)
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller/Sci-Fi/War
Story
Almost a direct remake of the original with the exception of some character modification or swapping, the ending, and most importantly the overall social and political climate of the film. This movie is based off of simple political power and of course a more modern war. In addition to that, the characters were a little switched around, but for the most part remained the same.
Everything Else
The directing of this film was solid, but failed to impress, which oddly the original was able to do better. The music and picture sound and look good respectively and the acting is top notch.
The reason the directing fails to impress is that there is plenty of bouncing around between different times and places to mess with you head much like the characters are supposed to be experiencing, but it starts to get a touch on the annoying side. In addition to that, it is not very effective in bringing you into the feeling that it would seem the characters are experiencing.
The acting on the other hand was particularly good. Casting did well with Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, and Meryl Streep. All of these actors were better for the parts than the original I believe. Denzel does his standard job here and luckily for him that means it was good. Liev does a good job as well and fits the psycho fairly well. Meryl Streep tops Murder She Wrote quite well and Jon Voight just did a good job. Overall the acting was the real factor along with the decent story that held The Manchurian Candidate together.
The Real Deal
I liked The Manchurian Candidate just as well the second time as I had the first. Unfortunately it left me unimpressed. Now that I have seen the movie it was based it might actually lower the score. We will get to that in the comparison post, but basically this version left a lot to be desired. This had a lot of potential, but failed to follow through. The movie is also much more gruesome and therefore will turn away a few more viewers.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 755,934
Sharon Movie? No
7/22/2008
Original vs. Remake: The Incredible Hulk
No doubt there will be those that are going to disagree with me on this post, but isn't controversy what really gets us excited. I will make this post short and sweet since that is really only a couple reasons for me decision.
The Hulk made by Ang Lee was a masterpiece when it was made and still is (yes I just said masterpiece). The only problem is The Incredible Hulk is a comic hero so there is no need to make a deep drama about him. This is surely what most people have as their major complaint. Other complaints are the crazy jumping sequences and comic like framing of the screen. These things 
I actually see as strengths, but they should not have been applied to the Hulk. The Hulk 
is all about strength and the struggle o controlling anger. Bruce Banner has to take charge of his anger to save the day. Ang Lee wanted to capture the drama side of the Hulk while people are really only looking for the action in the Hulk.
This is where the new one comes into play, it is all about the action and has so many plot holes and missed lines that it is almost frustrating to watch. I loved it for its great action sequences that get you fired up about the Hulk, but this was not a well made one.
It really boils down to the fact that neither is the movie that it should have been to really give fans of the Hulk what they wanted. One was too focused on the drama and the other was too focused on the action. The action was enough for those that didn't care about the story, but I still say the Ang Lee version is better. It is with out a doubt a much better directed film. The ew one is it had been polished up and had more of the scenes it cut out in it could have been great. Hopefully the DVD has the rest of the scenes that the new one seemed to be missing.
The Hulk
Original Wins!
7/21/2008
Chapter 27 (2007)
Director: J.P. Schaefer
Writer: J.P. Schaefer and Jack Jones (book)
Genre: Crime/Drama
Chapter 27 was an impulse pick up at the Blockbuster. I really only picked it up because of Jared Leto on the front cover (sometimes you can judge a movie by its cover). Jared Leto looked huge so I thought for sure it had to be a great performance if he was willing to gain the weight for it. It turned out I was right. This was one of Jared Leto’s best performances and thankfully that truly means a lot. In fact I just looked up how much weight he gained for the part and it is just shy of Vincent D’Onofrio’s weight gain record of 70 pounds for Full Metal Jacket. Jared gained 67 pounds for his role as Mark David Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon.
This movie was well directed, but the true star of the show is Leto. Leto proves he is not just a cool actor that lands roles in interesting movies, but a very serious man dedicated to his art. I would have to say this performance made me believe Leto has a very bright and promising future as an actor. The story in Chapter 27 was certainly good, but since this was all a true story it really can only be called good or bad according to how accurately it represented the actual event. Unfortunately I really didn’t know the story so it is impossible for me to talk about how accurately the film presents the actual events. There is some brief sexual content and plenty of language, but the violence is minimal even with the killing. I recommend Chapter 27 for fans of Leto, fans of crime dramas, and of course anyone who is looking for a less well-known movie that is really good.
The Even Shorter Version
Raw Score: 834,332
Sharon Movie? No
7/20/2008
Chaos Theory (2007)
Director: Marcos Siega
Writer: Daniel Taplitz
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Chaos Theory was one of a many movies I saw recently that I really liked. Ryan Reynolds has really started to break out into a well-rounded actor and is actually proving he has what it takes. In Chaos Theory he plays the part of Frank Allen, a man that has to make a to do list for everything. When his life starts to fall apart, the to do lists start to become more and more wild and he finds himself acting like a crazy man.
Emily Mortimer is Susan Allen (Frank’s wife) and she has been in a couple of really good movies lately with Lars and the Real Girl and then this one. I wouldn’t necessarily say she had a great performance, but it worked well and displayed a good range for her talent. All in all the acting was quite good, but Reynolds really stole the show as he is the main character.
The directing was interesting in Chaos Theory; it was a great mixture of comedy and drama. The movie was serious enough to make you really think about it, but at the same time you had to laugh a lot. There is mostly only language and some sex scenes to turn people away, but there is a true gem in Chaos Theory that many people will likely miss. If you get a chance be sure to pick this one up.
The Even Shorter Version
Raw Score: 864,110
Sharon Movie? Yes
7/19/2008
Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
Director: Scott Hicks
Writer: Stephen King (book) and William Goldman (screenplay)
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller
Story
Bobby Garfield (Anton Yelchin) lives with his mother Liz (Hope Davis) and struggles to find time to spend with his mother. All he really wants is someone to spend time with him and pay attention to him, but his mother doesn’t seem to have anytime for him. When Ted Brautigan (Anthony Hopkins) moves into the apartment upstairs, this all changes for Bobby. Ted seems to have the eerie ability to know to much about everyone and is a great friend (and fatherly figure) to Bobby.
Everything Else
Hearts in Atlantis has a slow feel to it, but provides enough odd hints at something deeper going on that the viewer should be able to stay engaged. While the directing is certainly not great, it does the job and is clean throughout the film. The real guts of the film comes from Hopkins actually as he is the main character aside from Yelchin’s.
Hopkins does a great job as the mysterious man who lives upstairs who seems to know too much about everyone. This deep character is the one that carries the film. Without the intriguing mystery that surrounds Ted, the movie would have fallen flat on its face. Anton Yelchin does well as the boy, but doesn’t make us tell our friends how great an actor he was. Hope Davis plays the part of annoying and evil seeming mother too well. I often find her one of the most obnoxious people in the movies she is in. Good thing for her this is the character she was supposed to be in this one.
The Real Deal
Hearts in Atlantis was not as good as I was hoping for, but it was entertaining none the less. I would have liked to have seen something more interesting at the end. Don’t watch the film expecting something crazy to happen at the end or you will be disappointed. There is enough at the end to make it interesting, but like someone building you up for a great joke and then forgetting the punch line, Hearts in Atlantis makes you think there will be a huge twist and there is not. The movie was clean for the most part so it could be safe for a wide audience. I have not read the book, but people typically say books are better than movies. Hopefully that is true for Hearts in Atlantis.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 702,001
Sharon Movie? No
7/18/2008
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
Director: Tamara Jenkins
Writer: Tamara Jenkins
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Story
Vivian (Natasha Lyonne) is a teenage girl trying to live with her wacky family. They have no money and continue to move from slum to slum in Beverly Hills to make sure that they are still in a good area with good schools. The family is broke and is constantly bumming money from friends and family. The story mostly follows Vivian and her attraction to a neighbor who happens to be a drug dealer and also her self discovery as she grows up.
Everything Else
The directing was good in Slums of Beverly Hills. The character interactions are quirky and fun, but the film also has a darker side to it. Often the viewer is bombarded with gross images situations. The flow of the film keeps the humor working well, but at the same time the story comes across clearly.
The acting was good on most all parts. Marisa Tomei has done better work and it seems showing skin is one of her signatures. Natasha was good in an awkward and weird way. She plays the part of a teenager trying to figure out what she wants quite well.
The main complaints about the overall feel of the movie come from the dark tones to it (which when in the right mood are actually a good thing) and the somewhat slow moving plot at times. There were times in the film that the viewer is supposed to feel awkward or embarrassed to emphasize how the characters are supposed to feel, but sometimes it just seems like too much. The plot moved along nicely, but the direction of it or lack of direction at times made it seem like there may not be any point to most of what was going on. Overall the directing, acting, and story were good though.
The Real Deal
Although I liked Slums of Beverly Hills, it could have been better. I think it was a lack of truly great laughs that made me like it less than The Savages. Marisa Tomei is also somewhat annoying in this one, but that was the point. I can’t recommend this movie to everyone because of the language, sex, and drugs, but if you are looking for a quirky movie and those things don’t bother you then I would give it a try. Thanks to Fletch for recommending it.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 768,229
Sharon Movie? No
7/15/2008
Cassandra’s Dream (2007)
As I find myself in a time crunch, more reviews may be short like this one. I could just as easily have put this one in a blitz, but I have all these pictures already so it seems a shame to put them to waste.
Cassandra’s Dream (2007)
Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Cassandra’s Dream is probably my second favorite Woody Allen movie behind Match Point. This one does not really come close to Match Point in terms of being a solid drama, but it is certainly better than most of Allen’s hit or miss comedies. Since most of Allen’s efforts have left me with a bad taste in my mouth, I think Cassandra’s Dream is well worth the watch even for fans or not so much of Allen’s work.
The acting is superb on all accounts and along with In Bruges I have really started to have a greater appreciation for Colin Farrell. I always like Ewan McGregor and Tom Wilkinson so that was not a surprise. This movie was a lot of fun in the sense that it had some humor built into a serious crime thriller type feel. I highly recommend this one. The only harshness to it is really language and subject matter.
The Even Shorter Version
Raw Score: 806,393
Sharon Movie? No
7/14/2008
Review Blitz #9
Hancock (2008)
Hancock was good, but left a lot to be desired. The real reason I would say that it was good is because it was a little different from the rest of the super hero movies out there nowadays, but it is still a super hero movie unfortunately. I like superhero movies, don’t get me wrong, but it just seems like there have been way too many lately. It is like a bad clothes fashion that seems to be the hot thing right now, but may be looked at in a different light not too long in the future. Anyway, Hancock was good, but I would have liked to have seen a lot more battle scenes and it just seemed way too short. I am sure they are planning on a sequel, so I guess we will get more of that soon.
Raw Score: 712,111
Sharon Movie? Yes
Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007)
This movie was not really my choice. I saw the previews and thought it looked bad, but the movie truly proved it. I would not recommend this one to anyone. It is weird, crude, and boring. The only thing redeeming about it possibly is the fact that it does feel quite real, but this does not come close to making up for everything else.
Raw Score: 433,283
Sharon Movie? No
Awake (2007)
Awake is a movie that I wanted to see for quite some time, but I just hadn’t gotten around to it until recently. This was just as good as I expected it to be if not a little better. It was not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I like movies with out of body experiences and stuff so this one fit that mold for me pretty well. The acting was solid and the directing was good, but the twists were a little predictable and not that exciting. I would have also liked to have seen a little more resolution in the end.
Raw Score: 743,129
Sharon Movie? No
Wall – E (2008)
This of course another great Pixar film. I love all of them and this is no exception. The main complaint I have for this one is the slow beginning and the fact that I saw the previews so many times that the parts in the previews seemed old hat. Nevertheless, quite an enjoyable film that is great for the whole family.
Raw Score: 853,939
Sharon Movie? Yes
Wanted (2008)
Wanted, wanted, wanted…
I have one sentence for this one:
Wanted did not quite live up to my low expectations for it, but it had plenty of entertainment value if you are willing to except the unbelievable and sit through more slow motion than three Jon Woo films combined.
Raw Score: 671,001
Sharon Movie? No
7/13/2008
So Little Time
The so little time part of my slogan there is starting to be a little bit too much a part of reality. I have been watching tons of movies, but I have not found the time to write the reviews. I have found that writing the reviews is quite time consuming if I just don't feel like writing at the time. Once I get going though, I can usually hammer out two or three pretty fast. The truth is, I just need more time. I love watching movies and I also love talking about them, but writing it all down can be a bit of a struggle for me. I hope none of you have given up on looking for new reviews here at Dave's Movies Reviews. I promise that I will make a strong effort to churn out more of those reviews more consistently in the future. Thanks for all of your support.
Original: The Hulk (2003)
Director: Ang Lee
Writer: Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Genre: Action/Drama/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Story
Bruce Banner (Eric Bana) is a scientist working with Betty Ross (Jennifer Connely). Bruce finds himself continuing work that his father (Nick Notle) was doing trying to make it possible for people to heal faster and be stronger. When an experiment goes bad and Bruce has to try and protect one of his colleagues, he ends up getting exposed to large amounts of gamma radiation, but does not get hurt. He wakes up the next day feeling better than ever. The only difference is that now when he gets angry, he turns into the Hulk. The story is just slightly different from the new one, but most of the main concepts are the same.
Everything Else
The directing is much like what you would have expected from the same guy who brought us Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. It is well directed, but does not have the comic book hero feel to it. Those that were looking for the cool Hulk things will likely be left out or disappointed, but those looking for a normal drama are also alienated. This puts Ang Lee’s attempt at The Incredible Hulk one that few people really will like. Nevertheless, the directing is very good with only a few minor quibbles.
The acting was sketchy at first, but really picked up towards the middle and the end was god as well. I always like to see Sam Elliot and Nick Nolte in movies because of their range of ability. Elliot is often overlooked, but does a better than average performance as Betty Ross’s father. Eric Bana did not have one of his more impressive performances, but certainly got the job done and made for a good Hulk. Jennifer Connely plays a good Betty Ross, but does not make a standout performance. All in all the acting really comes down to being good, but not great.
The real great parts of The Hulk are the things that people most often complain about when I talk to them about it. I often hear “the way the screen was broken up into windows was annoying” and “since when can the Hulk fly.” Lets break these two things down though, first with the very impressive comic book windows effect on the editing. It is hard to describe without actually seeing it (hopefully the pictures help), but it was intended to make the movie look and feel like a comic book. I think this added a lot to the movie and made it feel a lot more like a comic actually. The only complaint I have about that was that there were a lot of times where they did not use the effect and it would have been better if they had been more consistent about it. The next thing is the “flying.” Really though, the Hulk does not fly in this movie; rather he just jumps really far. This really makes sense though because he is super strong so he should be able to jump really far. Possibly Ang Lee has a little too big of passion for people flying, but these scenes were some of my favorite of the film.
The Real Deal
The real deal is somewhat simple. I liked The Hulk a lot, but I can certainly see why a lot of people did not like it. Ang Lee is great at making gracefully powerful dramas, but comics may not be his forte. If you are looking for a well-made movie that does not feel very much like a super hero comic, then The Hulk should please. I you are looking for a movie more about the Hulk’s power and explosions, then this may not be your bag.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 800,221
Sharon Movie? No
7/08/2008
The Orphanage (2007)
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Writer: Sergio G. Sánchez
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Horror/Thriller
Story
Laura (Belen Rueda) and her family move to a home that was once an orphanage which she grew up in. Her son Simon (Roger Princep) has AIDS and has to take special medicine to keep his immune system as healthy as possible. Laura and her husband want to build a place for other children with special needs to learn and grow at the house. Simon keeps talking about his friends that he is playing with, but his parents just play along as they think he is just making imaginary friends to cope with being lonely. As more and more strange things begin happening and Simon turns up missing, Laura has to search for her son.
Everything Else
The directing of the Orphanage is excellent. Most of the time horror films do not have much of a plot or much in the way of character development and acting, but The Orphanage proves that it can be done. The story is somewhat simple, but the suspense that it builds towards the end is great. You want to know what happened to the little boy and if Laura will find him. This was all expertly directed to build the suspense and give the jumping moments along with enough good character interactions and story to compare this horror film with well made dramas.
The acting added plenty to the film with Rueda and Princep especially. Princep just had to be believable as a child, but Rueda had to be convincing as a mother who has lost their child. Rueda’s range of emotion is excellent and adds the emotion and reality that the film needs to seem that much more terrifying. The sounds and overall soundtrack complete out the dark film making it a horrifying masterpiece.
The Real Deal
Mike recommended this film and I am glad that he did. I actually had it on my list of movies to watch since it got such good reviews, but it exceeded my expectations. I really enjoyed the fact that it was so well made and scary at the same time. All too often, a horror film is just a comedy really. This is a great example of how to make not only an excellent and chilling horror film, but also a powerful drama.
The Short Version
Raw Score: 867,542
Sharon Movie? No
7/02/2008
Original vs. Remake: 3:10 to Yuma
Another battle to the death with 3:10 to Yuma. The original was made in 1957 and had a couple big names like Van Heflin and Glenn Ford; ok, so I don't really know who Van Heflin is. Anyway, it had plenty of action for the day and was shot quite well in the glossy black and white. The remake was released 50 years after the original and had two big names; Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. It is hard to compare the two in respects to actual acting and cinematography, but the storyline and development of the story can be compared fairly easily.
The remake sticks to the basic concept of the original and even steals much of the dialog line for line, but it was 50 years since the original so it was time for a remake probably. The real difference comes in the added scenes that simply didn't happen in the original and a slightly different ending. The storyline was great in the original, but the remake took everything that was good about the original and added to it. The additions were quite welcome as they added more depth and character motivation. Not only were the characters better defined, but the action was more constant. Honestly, it is a sad but true fact that Americans seem to go for the action as opposed to the subtle brilliance of some films.
In conclusion, the remake had the acting, the directing, and the added storyline that made it an almost perfect remake. I could not have imagined a remake staying much more true to the original while at the same time providing enough interesting updates for fans of the original to enjoy the new one. I did see the remake first and this could quite possibly have swayed my feelings about the original, but I feel confident in saying that the remake is a much better film. There are a few things that were much better explained or executed in the remake and aside from being flashier and having more familiar faces, it just ran smoother. I would definitely recommend the original, but if you only watch one of them then watch the remake.
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
