In the Touchstone Pictures noir thriller D.O.A., Dennis Quad learns just how deadly getting published and tenure at college can be.
The Plot:
Dexter Cornell is a tenured professor, who has lost touch with his ability to write. He has a brilliant student who is pestering him for help on his novel, and his marriage to his wife Gail is ending. Lang might be an irritant, but his novel will change Dexter Cornell’s life, forever.
Witnessing Lang’s suicide, Cornell soon learns that the troubled but brilliant pupil was murdered and someone has poisoned him as well. With as little as 24 hours left before he dies, Cornell must determine who killed Nick Lang, and himself.
The journey is difficult, and the truth behind Lang’s past will play a prominent role in Cornell’s absolution.
The Good:
I remember watching this film in the early 90’s and being fascinated by the story and how someone could have only 24 hours to solve their own murder. Time mattered, decisions could result in the resolution or failure. Any movie with a time crunch always hooks me.
Dennis Quaid plays the older professor well. Even though he’s not that much older than Meg Ryan, Quaid wears the years well as the has been writer who is ending his life in a hurry and not through retirement. There is always something compelling that Quaid brings to the screen. No role that Quaid has is a small role because of his immense talent that has been overlooked for many years.
From color to black and white and back really helped set the mood for this noir thriller. Films like this aren’t made often now, and to think that this type of movie was being produced by Disney’s adult studio Touchstone in 1988 is incredible. The look of the film and tone of the script pays homage to the many classics of a bygone era.
The Bad and the Ugly:
The connection between Cornell’s wife and Nick Lang was a little over the top, and never gets explained for how they meet, which leads to the affair. It’s not needed and drags the story down.
As much as I loved the performance by Quaid, there were way too many silly scenes of his character Dexter Cornell running down the street. I get that it’s trying to show his desperation, but the only thing these scenes made me think of was some Will Ferrell skit from Saturday Night Live.
I never fully understood why Hal became a murderer, nor how he was able to accomplish his murders in such a limited time. He gains access to a super toxic poison through the med center at the school thanks to his wife working there. How would he get the access to the poison? It’s a bit of a stretch, but it gets away with working but I would have liked to have seen more of Daniel Stern in the film.
Beyond the Film Facts:
- This adaptation was the third of what would be five films that are based on the original screenplay.
- This would also be the second of three films that Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan would star in.
- The film was directed by real life couple Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton. They would go on to direct the disastrous 1993 Super Mario Bros. film.
- As the movie progresses, viewers will notice that the color gets drained from the picture. This helps connect viewers with the fact that Dexter Cornell is quickly losing his life.
- John Hawkes has a small role in the film.
- While the film received mixed reviews from the critics, Roger Ebert gave the pic three stars, and really enjoyed it.
- When the movie opened at the box office it landed in third place for it’s opening weekend.
The Streamy Award:
{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.
1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}
There is a lot to like about D.O.A. The fact that it is a remake of a noir thriller is fascinating because this is a film that would never get a major theatre push today. Instead this story would be broken up into multiple episodes for prestige entertainment on a streaming service.
Quaid is perfect as Dexter Cornell. He is charismatic, but also plays the dying man well, making his desperation at solving the crime easy to connect with, and also something the audience will root for. Cornell is not the best human being, but placed in this world, the audience will wish for him to succeed.
I loved this film when I was younger, and looking at it today, I realized that my younger self had great taste, because I still love D.O.A.
D.O.A. gets a 3 Reels rating. This is a ghost of Disney past, and hopefully something we will see again.
Cast and Crew:
- Dennis Quaid as Dexter Cornell
- Meg Ryan as Sydney Fuller
- Daniel Stern as Hal Petersham
- Jane Kaczmarek as Gail Cornell
- Robert Knepper as Nicolas Lang
- Charlotte Rampling as Mrs. Fitzwaring
- Robin Johnson as Cookie Fitzwaring
Directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton
Produced by Touchstone Pictures / Silver Screen Partners III / Bigelow Productions
Release Date: March 18, 1988
Budget: $3.5 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $12,706,478
Coming Soon:
Next week a look back at the failed Sylvester Stallone comedy Oscar. Yes, I said Sylvester Stallone and comedy in the same sentence.