Directed by Neil Jordan • 1989 • United States
Starring Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Demi Moore
Director Neil Jordan and screenwriter David Mamet, masters of dramatic intensity, take a detour into comedy—albeit of the dark, cynical variety—with this oft-overlooked remake of the 1955 Humphrey Bogart vehicle. Robert De Niro and Sean Penn star as two escaped convicts whose only prayer is to pass themselves off as priests as they try to flee across the Canadian border. Taking shelter in a small-town monastery, the pair must go to great lengths to sustain the ruse, as Jordan and Mamet explore questions of faith, hypocrisy, and redemption with incisive wit.
Up Next in ’80s Remakes (and Their Originals!)
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We’re No Angels
Directed by Michael Curtiz • 1955 • United States
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Peter UstinovThis wickedly offbeat Christmas comedy gives Humphrey Bogart a rare chance to display his lighter side. He stars alongside Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray as one of three escaped convicts from Devil’s ...
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The Man Who Loved Women
Directed by Blake Edwards • 1983 • United States
Starring Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Kim BasingerHollywood sophisticate Blake Edwards transplanted François Truffaut’s French sex comedy to 1980s LA for this ruefully funny portrait of a playboy facing a midlife crisis. David Fowler (Burt Reyno...
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The Man Who Loved Women
Directed by François Truffaut • 1977 • France
Starring Charles Denner, Leslie Caron, Nelly BorgeaudIn this bittersweet late-career charmer, director François Truffaut revisits his recurring themes of love and romantic obsession from a poignantly reflective perspective. Charles Denner stars as t...
