The Thomas Crown Affair

Norman Jewison's 1968 original, with Steve McQueen as Thomas Crown, the millionaire Boston businessman who robs banks for fun, and Faye Dunaway as demure Vicky Anderson, the insurance investigator hired to catch him, is memorable only for an amusing chess-game seduction scene. John McTiernan's remake, which transplants the story to New York City, is brighter, glitzier, and far smarter than its inspiration.

Pierce Brosnan's Thomas is a cocky, obscenely rich playboy who steals famous works of art (somehow more excusable than McQueen's money pilfering) for kicks. His latest acquisition is a Monet nabbed in a dazzling, ingenious scene. Trading in her sexy-mousy routine for fiery and passionate, Rene Russo as insurance investigator/bounty hunter Catherine Banning is the real reason to watch this movie: Catherine cottons onto Thomas immediately and the cat-and-mouse game commences. The question is not whether Catherine will get her man but whether she'll get to keep him; and with a backdrop of lust-driven romance, aptly placed humor, and "how the hell are they going to do that?" excitement, you actually care about the answer. At the Harbour Mall, Holiday, Showcase, Tri-Boro, and Woonsocket cinemas.
-- Jumana Farouky