Latest news with #KieferSutherland
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
90s actor who starred with Julia Roberts and Melanie Griffith is unrecognizable with shockingly thin frame
Fans of '80s and '90s movies were in for a treat when one of the most beloved scene-stealers from those decades made a rare appearance in Manhattan on Friday. The iconic actor, now 65, turned heads during a brisk walk through the West Village—looking shockingly thin and nearly unrecognizable. The slimmed-down look was a far cry from the full-figured stockbroker he played opposite Melanie Griffith in 1989's Working Girl. It also marked a major departure from his heftier appearance in 1990's Flatliners, where he starred alongside Julia Roberts, Kevin Bacon, and Kiefer Sutherland. Dressed in a gray polo and navy shorts, the Tony-nominated star—who also appeared in Indecent Proposal and Benny & Joon—seemed to be getting in a workout, breaking a sweat while carrying a water bottle. Can you guess the star? Fans of '80s and '90s movies were in for a treat when one of the most beloved scene-stealers from those decades made a rare appearance in Manhattan on Friday The iconic actor, now 65, turned heads during a brisk walk through the West Village—looking shockingly thin and nearly unrecognizable If you said Oliver Platt, you're right! Back in 1999, Platt reflected on his career during a particularly busy moment, with three major films hitting theaters: Three to Tango with Matthew Perry, Bicentennial Man alongside Robin Williams, and Lake Placid with Betty White. 'I look back at the movies I've made, and there's not a single one I regret,' he told Esquire. 'But I like them for different reasons—some were fun to do, and for others the result was satisfying.' Platt singled out a few personal favorites. 'Funny Bones is really dear to me, but such a tense experience. Then there's The Impostors, which was criminally fun to make,' he said, referencing the 1998 comedy in which he and Stanley Tucci played struggling New York actors posing as stewards aboard a luxury liner bound for France. 'We kept saying to each other, "I can't believe we're getting paid for this—oh, yeah, we aren't."' In addition to his film career, Platt has earned critical acclaim across both television and theater. He's received five Primetime Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe nod, and two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, including recognition for his role as George Steinbrenner in ESPN's The Bronx Is Burning (2007). He was also Emmy-nominated for standout guest appearances in The West Wing (2001), Huff (2005–2006), and Nip/Tuck (2008). Platt is a familiar face on the small screen, known for major roles in The Big C, Fargo, and The Good Wife, as well as his ongoing performances as Uncle Jimmy on Hulu's The Bear. On Broadway, he made his debut in Conor McPherson's Shining City in 2006, earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. He later returned to the stage as Nathan Detroit in the 2009 revival of Guys and Dolls.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
21 times real-life fathers and sons played family on-screen
Some of Hollywood's biggest stars have watched their children grow up to become actors themselves. Real-life father-son duos sometimes team up to play on-screen families. Donald Sutherland and his son Kiefer played an estranged father and son in the film "Forsaken." It feels like nepo babies are everywhere — and sometimes, when both a parent and a child are actors, they work together. But playing a father-and-son duo on screen takes the relationship to a whole new level. Donald Sutherland, who died in June 2024, worked with his son Kiefer on the Western film "Forsaken." Kiefer played an outlaw trying to change his ways, while his father played a stern reverend. "Working with him is something I have wanted to do for 30 years," Kiefer told People in 2016. Donald, in turn, called Kiefer a "wonderful actor." Here are some of Hollywood's most famous fathers and sons who also played father and son on-screen in honor of Father's Day. Donald and Kiefer Sutherland starred in 2016's "Forsaken" as father and son. In "Forsaken," Kiefer Sutherland plays a retired criminal and quick-draw killer, John Henry Clayton, in the late 1800s. After abandoning his old ways, he returns home to try to repair his relationship with his estranged father, Reverend Samuel Clayton, played by Kiefer's real father, Donald. "As much as I planned as an actor that this is what I want to do with the character, I was not expecting how powerful it was going to be when I looked into my father's eyes," Kiefer told the Los Angeles Times in 2016. They appeared in other movies together before Donald's death, including 1996's "A Time to Kill," although they did not play father and son. Dominic West joined the cast of "The Crown" for season five as Prince Charles. West's real son, Senan West, played Prince William. Dominic replaced Josh O'Connor as Prince Charles in seasons five and six of Netflix's royal drama "The Crown," which concluded its run in 2023. Charles, of course, has two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. And there was no more perfect person to play Prince William than Dominic's real-life son, Senan, then 14, who was in three episodes of season five, according to IMDb. "It was very moving actually, he'd never acted before because COVID stopped any school plays or anything, so I'd never seen him act," Dominic told Yahoo UK in November 2022 of working with his son. "He had this amazing innocence to him that was extraordinary to watch, as well as the fact that obviously he's my boy. It's very difficult when you act with children to have a physical intimacy, but with him, that's obviously not a question, which made it much easier." Tom and Colin Hanks played father and son in "The Great Buck Howard" in 2008. "The Great Buck Howard" follows John Malkovich as Buck Howard, a mentalist who is at the tail end of his career. His assistant, Troy, is played by Colin, who goes against the wishes of his father, Mr. Gable (played by Tom), who wants him to become a lawyer. "He has always been really supportive of everything that I've done," Colin told NPR's Terry Gross of his father in 2009. Will and Jaden Smith have played father and son twice. First, in 2006's "The Pursuit of Happyness." In "The Pursuit of Happyness," a true story, Smith stars as Chris Gardner, a homeless medical salesman turned wildly successful stockbroker. His son, Jaden, plays Gardner's son, Christopher Gardner Jr. "Little Jaden is a chip off the old block, uncommonly at ease before the cameras. Their real-life bond is an inestimable asset to the onscreen characters' relationship," wrote Steve Persall of the St. Petersburg Times. They teamed up again seven years later in "After Earth." "After Earth" takes place in a future in which humans had to evacuate Earth after a cataclysmic event. One thousand years later, Kitai and his father, Cypher, are marooned on the planet after their spaceship collapses. When Cypher's legs are broken, he instructs his teenage son on how to contact their home planet and get them home via a communicator while Kitai journeys through the now-perilous Earth. The movie got disastrous reviews, and the elder Smith has discussed how "After Earth" strained his relationship with his son. "'After Earth' was an abysmal box office and critical failure," Smith wrote in his 2021 memoir, "Will." "And what was worse was that Jaden took the hit. Fans and the press were absolutely vicious; they said and printed things about Jaden that I refuse to repeat. Jaden had faithfully done everything that I'd instructed him to do, and I had coached him into the worst public mauling he'd ever experienced." "He felt misled, and he lost his trust in my leadership," Smith wrote. "At 15 years old, when Jaden asked about being an emancipated minor, my heart shattered. He ultimately decided against it, but it sucks to feel like you've hurt your kids," he added. Eugene and Dan Levy played father and son Johnny and David Rose on "Schitt's Creek" for six seasons from 2015 to 2020. The Levys also co-created "Schitt's Creek," so it was a no-brainer that they would play two of the leads: patriarch Johnny, a former video store tycoon, and his spoiled (yet lovable) son, David. By the end of the series' six seasons, both Levys would take home Emmys for their acting and for producing, as the show won outstanding comedy series — they became the first father-son duo to win Emmys in the same year, per the Los Angeles Times. "I think what I learned from [my dad], just from a comedy standpoint, is that … there's so much generosity, I think, to great comedy," Levy told the "Today" show in 2021. "You have to just give people space. There's just such a joy in knowing that you have each other's back." Jerry and Ben Stiller played father and son in 2007's "The Heartbreak Kid." The Stillers are one of the most legendary father-and-son duos in Hollywood. They acted together quite a bit before Jerry's death in 2020, although they didn't always play relatives. In the 2007 remake of "The Heartbreak Kid," Ben plays a commitment-phobic man named Eddie who decides to propose to a woman he barely knows to get her to stay in the US. Jerry plays his father, Doc. "My dad is so funny. Like, I've never, ever thought I was funny like my dad. Or as funny as my dad. I've never really felt a competition, because I would lose, hands down," Stiller told The New Yorker after his father's death in May 2020. Twenty years earlier, they also played father and son in 1987's "Hot Pursuit." In "Hot Pursuit," they play Victor and Chris Honeywell, two side characters in the film. The Stillers also both appeared in "Zoolander" and "Heavyweights," though not as father and son. Kirk Douglas, his son Michael, and his grandson Cameron all appeared in the 2003 film "It Runs in the Family" as three generations of the Gromberg clan. In "It Runs in the Family," each generation of Gromberg men is dealing with their own issues — Kirk's character, Mitchell, is struggling with health complications after a stroke; his son Michael's character, Alex, is trying to manage marital issues and career doubts; and his son Cameron's character, Asher, is feeling lost while away at college. To add even more Douglas genes to the film, Michael's mother and Kirk's ex-wife, Diana, also appear in the film as Mitchell's wife, Evelyn. Diana died in 2015, while Kirk died in 2021. After his father's death, Michael posted a tribute on Instagram, "To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to." "But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband," he continued. Brian Gleeson plays the teenage son of his father Brendan's character in the 2006 film "The Tiger's Tail." The Gleesons have acted together multiple times in various permutations — for example, Brian played the younger version of his father Brendan's character in "Assassin's Creed." But in "The Tiger's Tail," Brian plays the son of Brendan's character Liam, as Liam deals with his life heading into a downward spiral. Brendan also plays Brian's dad in a sitcom Brian co-created with his real-life brother Domhnall: "Frank of Ireland" in 2021. Both of Brendan's sons appear in "Frank of Ireland," though they do not play brothers — so, when Brendan shows up, he's only the father of Brian's character, Frank. "Dad was amazing and brought an incredible energy on set," Domhnall told What to Watch. "He was so up for it and so willing to be stupid. It was brilliant!" Domnhall and Brendan also starred in the "Harry Potter" films, albeit not as relatives (Domnhall played the eldest son of the Weasley family, Bill, while Brendan played the legendary auror Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody). Emilio Estevez played the deceased son of his father Martin Sheen's character in "The Way" in 2010. Since Estevez wrote and directed the film, he, of course, made it a family affair by casting his Emmy-winning father. In the film, Sheen's character, Thomas, grieves the death of his son, Daniel, played by Estevez, in flashbacks and at the beginning of the film by continuing Daniel's journey of walking the Camino de Santiago (or The Way) in Europe. "I had to keep reminding [my dad] that his character was not a friendly man, that he was suspicious of people, because that is not his nature," Estevez told The New York Times in 2011 when describing what it was like to work with his father. Martin has acted with another of his sons, Charlie, too. In 1987's "Wall Street," Charlie played Bud Fox, while his dad played Carl Fox. In one of the biggest roles of Charlie's early career, he played stockbroker-in-training Bud Fox, who idolizes the sleazy (yet powerful) Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas. But his actual father in the film is played by his real dad. Martin Sheen played Carl Fox, an airline employee and union leader. "I adore him," Martin Sheen said of his son in 2021, according to People. "I've always, always adored him. His recovery and his life is a miracle and he's an extraordinary man." Martin and Charlie also played father and son in the 1998 crime thriller "No Code of Conduct." In "No Code of Conduct," the Sheens play Bill and Jake Peterson, a father-and-son duo who are both police officers. They uncover a huge drug-running operation from Mexico into Arizona while investigating the death of their coworker. The two also acted together in "Hot Shots! Part Deux," but not as father and son. Scott and James Caan played father and son in 1995's "A Boy Called Hate." Scott is the star of "A Boy Called Hate," in which he plays teenager Steve, who renames himself Hate. He ends up witnessing an attempted rape committed by an assistant district attorney. His real dad, James, plays Steve's father, who is too busy running a workers' compensation fraud scheme to really help his son in any meaningful way. Fourteen years later, the Caans teamed up again for "Mercy" in 2009. The younger Caan also wrote the film, in which he plays Johnny Ryan, a novelist who doesn't know exactly what he wants to do with his life. James plays Johnny's father, Gerry. "You don't want to fail for your kid. United Artists or Warner Bros., or Coppola, I can mess up. I don't want to do it, but for your kid, that's the worst thing," James told the Los Angeles Times in 2010. The two reunited on-screen for an episode of "Hawaii Five-O" in 2012, but James didn't play Scott's character's father. This was their last on-screen collaboration before James' death in 2022. Father and son Dustin and Jake Hoffman actually played grandfather and son in "Barney's Version" in 2010. In "Barney's Version," based on the 1997 novel of the same name, Paul Giamatti plays the main character, Barney. Dustin plays Barney's eccentric father, while Jake plays the older version of Barney's son. They acted together again in the 2022 film "Sam & Kate." In "Rocky V," Sylvester Stallone cast his real-life son Sage to play Rocky's son, Rocky Jr. Sylvester cast his son, Sage, who died in 2012, to play the son of his iconic boxing creation, Rocky Balboa, in the fifth film of the series. For the 2006 film "Rocky Balboa" and the 2018 film "Creed II," the character of Rocky Jr. was taken over by Milo Ventimiglia. Patrick Stewart's son, Daniel, played the son of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a 1992 episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation." In "The Inner Light," one of the best episodes of "The Next Generation," an energy beam strikes Picard (Patrick Stewart), which allows him to live an entire lifetime while just minutes pass for the rest of the crew. In the episode, his son, Daniel, played Batai, the son of Picard who exists in this reality. "It was a spec script, you know. That's something that not many people know: It was a spec script. One of the tiny few that actually got made. And, of course, my son was in it, and it was the first time I'd ever worked professionally with my son, so that's another reason why it's special to me," the legendary actor told Bullz Eye in 2010. The Stewarts once again played father and son during the Starz series "Blunt Talk" in 2015. Daniel appeared in the first season of "Blunt Talk," which saw his father star as Walter Blunt, a cable news journalist. Daniel played Walter's son Rafe, a professional boxer. "Daniel has a wonderful talent for comedy, particularly wacky comedy. So we shared an episode. Hopefully we'll be sharing many more," the "Star Trek" star told USA Today in 2015. "I think it's a great thing that we're both in the same profession. It has so brought so much into both our lives that we can share and enjoy talking about. It's terrific." In 1978, Jake Busey had a small role in "Straight Time" as the son of his real-life father, Gary Busey's character. In "Straight Time," Gary played Willy, a heroin addict and friend of the main character, Max (Dustin Hoffman), who also acted as an accomplice to Max's crimes. Jake had a small part as Willy's son, Darin. Correction: August 12, 2024 — An earlier version of this story misstated the number of movies Donald and Kiefer Sutherland worked on together. They only appeared as father and son in one movie, but worked on other movies together, including "A Time to Kill." Read the original article on Business Insider
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Kiefer Sutherland to pay tribute to late father Donald at Canadian Screen Awards
Father and son Donald, left, and Kiefer Sutherland pose on the red carpet for the film "Foresaken" during the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese TORONTO — Kiefer Sutherland will pay tribute to his late father, Canadian acting icon Donald Sutherland, at this year's Canadian Screen Awards. Tammy Frick, CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, says the '24' star will present the 'In Memoriam' segment of the show, during which he will honour his dad. Donald Sutherland died at the age of 88 last June. At the time, Kiefer took to social media to remember his father, calling him 'one of the most important actors in the history of film.' Frick says Kiefer will deliver a 'really heartfelt moment' at the Screen Awards that she believes will be a highlight of the annual bash. The Screen Awards celebrate the best in Canadian film, television and digital sectors and are set to stream live on CBC Gem on June 1. Kiefer is one of Donald's four sons, also including Roeg, Rossif and Angus. The late actor also had a daughter, Rachel. Kiefer and Donald appeared onscreen together in several projects over the years, including 1983's 'Max Dugan Returns,' 1996's 'A Time to Kill' and 2015's 'Forsaken.' Article by Alex Nino Gheciu.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kiernan Shipka, Kiefer Sutherland & Krysten Ritter Pic ‘Stone Cold Fox' Boarded For Sales At Cannes Market, First Look Images Revealed
EXCLUSIVE: The Syndicate has boarded foreign sales rights to revenge thriller Stone Cold Fox starring Kiernan Shipka, Kiefer Sutherland and Krysten Ritter. Set in the 1980s, the film sees Fox (Shipka) escape an abusive commune to find her family. When the commune's queenpin (Ritter) kidnaps Fox's little sister and sends a crooked cop (Sutherland) after her, Fox is forced to infiltrate the very place she escaped to save her sister and exact her revenge. Above and below are first look images. More from Deadline Imax, Federation & Imago Join Forces On Documentary 'Patrouille De France' - Cannes Sarah Paulson, Toni Collette, Dianne Wiest & Toby Wallace Leading Cody Fern's 'Mother Courage'; Mk2 Launching At Cannes Market 'Snabba Cash' & 'Paradis City' Makers Team For Legal Thriller 'Burden Of Justice' From SVT, Strive Stories & Film i Vast; Scandi Pubcasters & DR Sales Attached Pic marks the feature directorial debut of Sophie Tabet, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Julia Roth. Cast also includes Lorenza Izzo, Jamie Chung, and Karen Fukuhara. The film is produced by Bee-Hive Productions, The Wonder Company, and Bang Bang Pictures, in association with Streamline Global. UTA Independent Group and Verve Ventures represent North American rights. 'Stone Cold Fox is a rip-roaring-and-wild ride with some very memorable performances with A-list actors in roles we've never seen them play before, and knowing all of that, The Syndicate and their repertoire of selling like-minded films made them an obvious choice for us,' said producer Eric B. Fleischman. 'Stone Cold Fox screams originality in every aspect — style, visuals, script, and energy — and we are thrilled to be involved and working with the talented filmmakers that brought this film to life,' added Shaun Sanghani, CEO of The Syndicate. Kiefer Sutherland in Stone Cold Fox Best of Deadline Where To Watch All The 'Mission: Impossible' Movies: Streamers With Multiple Films In The Franchise Everything We Know About 'My Life With The Walter Boys' Season 2 So Far 'Bridgerton' Season 4: Everything We Know So Far
The Guardian
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The 20 best US remakes of foreign language films – ranked!
Jeff (Kiefer Sutherland) obsesses over the fate of his missing girlfriend in George Sluizer's American remake of his own 1988 Franco-Dutch psychochiller. Is it as devastating as the original? Absolutely not! But Jeff Bridges has never been creepier, and at least the dumb Hollywood ending won't give you nightmares. In case we sickos didn't get the message in 1997, Austrian gloom-meister Michael Haneke recycles his brutally efficient home invasion diatribe shot-for-shot, but this time in English. Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet play polite young men who knock on Naomi Watts' door and ask to borrow eggs. What happens next will harsh your vibe. Steve Carell plays Barry Speck, whose passion is building dead mice dioramas, making him the perfect stooge for a dinner party where rich scumbags mock eccentric losers. Hollywood sweetens an acidic French farce, Le Dîner de Cons (1998), and bungles its subplots, but compensations include Carell going full-on nerd and Jemaine Clement as a pretentious artist. You can't fault Josh Brolin's commitment to his role as an alcoholic advertising executive trying to discover why he was held prisoner for 20 years in Spike Lee's Americanisation of Park Chan-wook's baroque revenge thriller. But an uneasy mix of neo-noir realism and South Korean stylisation makes it feel like a half-baked copy of the 2003 masterpiece. Those who prefer their horror grim should stick with the 2002 Danish-Dutch original. James Watkins' do-over, in which an American family goes to stay with the friendly Britons they met on holiday, is more conventional, but also more fun, with James McAvoy attaining peak psycho as a host testing the limits of his guests' good manners. That damnable stuffed rabbit appears in both versions. If you must film an American version of a hit French farce, you might as well get Elaine May to write the dialogue, as Mike Nichols does here. Gay couple Armand and Albert (Robin Williams and Nathan Lane) try to pass as straight when their son's fiancee's parents come to dinner. Chucklesome complications include Gene Hackman, bless him, dressed in drag. Takashi Shimizu directs the US remake of his own haunted house franchise, but keeps it in Tokyo, with American actors imported to play cannon fodder for Greasy-Haired Ghost and Small Boy Who Makes Mewing Noises. The story is confusing, which somehow makes the scary bits (the lift! Oh good grief, the bedclothes!) even scarier. Claude Chabrol's La Femme Infidèle (1969) gets the Hollywood treatment from Adrian Lyne, with unexpectedly classy results. Diane Lane is wonderful as an unhappy housewife who embarks on an affair, while her husband (Richard Gere) finds murdering her lover more therapeutic than any amount of marriage counselling. Tom Cruise plays a New York yuppie whose reality starts to fragment after a car crash. Writer and director Cameron Crowe transposes Alejandro Amenábar's lower budgeted brain teaser from Madrid to Manhattan; Penélope Cruz plays the girlfriend in both versions. Crowe is no Amenábar, alas, but he does have a bigger star, and more pop music. Christopher Nolan's remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller will seem perfectly acceptable to anyone who hasn't seen the tauter, more claustrophobic original. Al Pacino plays a Los Angeles detective summoned north to investigate a murder in Alaska, where constant daylight and lack of sleep lead to a fatal error. Robin Williams, in one of his three creepy performances that same year, plays the killer. Bob Fosse made his screen directing debut with the film of the Broadway show based on Federico Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957). Shirley MacLaine plays the ever-hopeful taxi dancer with a talent for picking the wrong guy. It flopped, but nowadays we can only gaze in awe at impeccably choreographed musical numbers such as the Rich Man's Frug. James Cameron pumps testosterone and money into what began as a modest French action-comedy, La Totale! (1991). Arnold Schwarzenegger plays Harry Tasker, a superspy whose wife thinks he's a boring salesman. Cameron distracts you from the film's mean-spirited elements by blowing up half the Florida Keys. David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's bestseller is slicker than its 2009 Swedish predecessor, is set to a terrific Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score, and features fake Swedish accents from everyone except Daniel Craig and Stellan Skarsgård. What it doesn't have is the 2009 film's Noomi Rapace, the definitive Lisbeth Salander. Martin Scorsese finally won an Oscar for his remake of the cracking Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002). Leonardo DiCaprio plays a cop in deep cover with the Boston mafia, Matt Damon a mobster who has infiltrated the police. It's a lot baggier than its prototype, and further knocked off balance by Jack Nicholson's untrammelled scenery chewing as mob boss Frank Costello. Matt Reeves does a decent job of Americanising Tomas Alfredson's vampire masterpiece, with the Swedish housing estate replaced by Reagan-era New Mexico, where a bullied 12-year-old schoolboy befriends the mysterious girl next door. Reeves tends to spell out what might be better left implicit, but comes into his own in some added action sequences. While most American J-horror remakes dilute their originals, Gore Verbinski's reworking of Hideo Nakata's Ring (1998) whips up an entirely different but no less nerve-racking ambience, making full use of a bigger budget, Pacific Northwest locations and Naomi Watts as the journalist investigating a viral death curse spread by VHS. Though not as lean and mean as Le Convoyeur (2004), its French progenitor, Guy Ritchie's revenge thriller does its own thing, ties an initially simple narrative into convoluted knots, and unleashes Jason Statham on a hardboiled cast playing armoured truck guards. All this without any of the laddishness that mars some of Ritchie's other work, making this his most satisfying film in years. Bill Murray co-directs as well as stars in this nifty remake of Hold-Up (1985), a French Canadian action comedy starring Jean-Paul Belmondo. Murray is at his sardonic best as Grimm, a bankrobber disguised as a clown. The robbery is easy; the hard part is trying to get out of town with the loot. Whereas the original gets bogged down in car chases, Murray's remake keeps it tense and funny to the end. William Friedkin said his adaptation of Georges Arnaud's novel was not a remake, but since it had already been filmed by Henri-Georges Clouzot as The Wages of Fear (1953), let's call it one anyway. Either way, this action-thriller about four expat losers driving dynamite-laden trucks across rugged Latin American terrain is now almost as much of a classic as its antecedent, enhanced by Tangerine Dream's haunting score and Roy Scheider's demonstrating the ultimate thousand-yard stare. Akira Kurosawa's samurai movies were already heavily influenced by the western genre, so it wasn't hard for Hollywood to convert Seven Samurai (1954) back into a bona fide oater. Yul Brynner plays gunslinger Chris, who persuades six mercenaries to protect a Mexican village from bandits, then spends the rest of the film trying not to get upstaged by Steve McQueen, James Coburn and an Elmer Bernstein score that makes you break out in goose pimples. One of the best remakes ever.
