MovieChat Forums > The Big Heat (1953) Discussion > Could be a wonderful remake.

Could be a wonderful remake.

posted 18 years ago by C.S.Wood
13 replies | jump to latest

Now, hold on, I know what you're thinking. I'm one of those people that are strongly against remakes, but the problem with Hollywood is they tend to remake movies that everyone knows and has seen, and in some cases the remakes are more or less exactly like the original (Psycho, The Omen).

I love film-noir to death, but they don't make film-noirs anymore, and they don't remake any of the film-noirs that maybe were just okay and could stand to be remade, given the right actors and director.

The Big Heat is a classic in my eyes, but I couldn't help but think of a fantasy cast for a possible remake/update. First, imagine Martin Scorcese directing this, especially coming of The Departed. As Bannion, I'm thinking either Denzel Washington or Russel Crowe. As Vince Stone, Michael Madsen. As Lagana, Robert DeNiro. And as Debby Marsh, maybe someone like Nicole Kidman or Jennifer Connelly to take over for Gloria Grahame.

I'd seriously love to see a number of cool film-noir updates with great actors and directors behind them. Updates of noir's like This Gun For Hire, Too Late For Tears, Detour, Gun Crazy, and a dozen other films not that many people of seen (or even heard of) could spark interest in the original films. Because let's face it, not that many people will even bother with watching the original The Big Heat unless they hear a remake is in the works.

"Action is how men express romance on film." --Kurt Wimmer

[–] robin-moss2 18 years ago

In no circumstances should this film be remade because any remake would be far worse than the original. The movies which should be remade are the "near-misses", films which did not quite work properly and, with the benefit of hindsight, could have been "fixed".

[–] smarcusaurelius 18 years ago

I agree with robin-moss2 on this. The "near-misses" deserve a second chance. Films that were done well the first time should be left alone.

www.MarcusMakesMovies.blogspot.com

[–] ksf-2 18 years ago

Hmmm.. I'm torn on this issue - Thank god they remade most of the silents as Talkies.. or we wouldnt have some of those classics from the 30s and 40s. That being said, I think directors try to repeat the artistic & financial success of the first time a movie is made, so they hardly ever remake those "near misses"...
I think we need a non-profit group (with a web site of course) to select which movies get remade and protect the "classics".... I suspect there would not be agreement on which ones are the classics... for a perfect example, see my "user comment" on the original Don't Drink the Water 1969.. I preferred the 1969 version, yet another user like the remake better. I hope they never try to remake Gone with the Wind. Yet, Wizard of Oz 1939 was itself a remake, and I'm sure the 1939 version was MUCH better than the 1925 version.

ksf-2

[–] Consul_Incitatus 18 years ago

The Maltese Falcon is a remake as well, although I havent seem the original

[–] onelastnail 17 years ago

Indeed, there were two versions of the Maltese Falcon before the one we all know and love (one of which was a comedy called Satan Met a Lady). Bogart only got the role because George Raft turned it down, because his contract stated he wasn't obliged to be in remakes. He also turned down Casablanca...

If it were remade, would it be set in the 1950s like the original, or modernised? I can't see how either would work, really. Modernisation would change the plot because of advances in technology (imagine if they all had mobile phones), but making it a period piece would be redundant.

Anyway, the only problem I had with The Big Heat when I watched it last night (first viewing, so maybe I'll find more problems in the future) is the score. Sometimes the music was massively distracting, spelling out the action too blatantly - a little bit of twinkly music box when Bannion picks up the pram outside his house, just in case we didn't remember he has a kid, that sort of thing. Certain scenes (such as the car bomb) could have been far more effective with no music at all.

[–] samningrice 17 years ago

I thought this just as I watched it last night for the first time.

A well done remake set in the 50's would be great, as I think it could be made a lot more hard hitting now without the hayes code. The violence could be really upped to modern levels and what happens to his wife could be a lot more brutal that what happens in this version.

It would probably suck though if they did make a remake.

[–] onelastnail 16 years ago

It turns out they did do a remake. It's called The Dark something-or-other, can't remember exactly. Christian Bale plays the Glenn Ford part, a grief-stricken vigilante crimefighter, only he wears this weird rubber costume, don't know what that's all about. The Gloria Grahame part is played by Aaron Eckhart, but it's fire and not coffee that burns half his face off... I dunno, I thought they spoiled it a bit.

[–] h-ahmad-1 16 years ago

Hehe, good point. Very perceptive.

And instead of Vince Stone, we have The Joker and for Lagana, it's Maroni. Still, going back to the original topic, I feel Don Siegel could have remade this in the '70s which had its fair share of tough cops anyway. Burt Reynolds could have played Bannion and Joe Don Baker would have been a great Vince Stone.

[–] hisgrandmogulhighness 16 years ago

well Aaron posts that there are strong similarities between The Big Heat, and the recent Batman film, The Dark Knight . . . so, if true, the 1953 film has already been remade!

[–] lastmidnite2 16 years ago

Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Connolly taking over for the great Gloria Grahame?? Thanks alot, that gave me the biggest laugh I've had all week!

[–] asgard-5 12 years ago

This was kind of remade as Blackboard Jungle, wasn't it? At least the story goes through similar motions and it has characters serving similar purposes. Glenn Ford plays a similar character.

Remaking this one's not a bad idea, but casting the right people would be a problem. They'd never cast someone looking like, say, Kevin Chapman. Instead they'd pick the noir revival go-to fellas like Ryan Gosling, JG Lewitt and Josh Hartnett for key roles. And the babes would be played by whoever's in the big movies now.

[–] onex-ge 11 years ago

How bout remade as a pan-asian extravaganza

Directed by Wong Kar Wai
Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Bannion,
Zhang Ziyi as Debbie
Kitano Takeshi as Laganna
Lee Byung-hun as Vince

[–] C.S.Wood 11 years ago

How bout remade as a pan-asian extravaganza

Directed by Wong Kar Wai
Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Bannion,
Zhang Ziyi as Debbie
Kitano Takeshi as Laganna
Lee Byung-hun as Vince

Maybe more like director: Chan-wook Park

Bannion: Bin Won
Debbie: Josie Ho
Laganna: Min-sik Choi
Stick with Byung-hun Lee as Vince

I'd so watch a Korean remake of a film noir if it were directed by any of the cool up and coming South Korean directors. I saw A Company Man a few weeks ago and it certainly had the right feel.

Don't try to cash in love, that check will always bounce.