2 Movies Like Arsène Lupin (2004)

The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a remake of 1978 American film Fingers, but reversed– The film brings a debt collector to piano rather than the other way around. As you can imagine, the reversal completely changes how the plot feels. It’s not great that the mom here is dead, but this choice makes Tom’s dream of piano playing more of a question and more of a subconscious character desire that drives the whole film. The change also makes the action more visceral– the film makes Tom have no choice but to start out with the violence, which, of course, leads to consequences later in the film. And on top of this, the film also adds more interest to the romance, as the language barrier pushes the connection to be bridged by music rather than words. So, sure, The Beat That My Heart Skipped is a remake, but the changes make the neo-noir a bit more original and a bit more compelling.

Genre: Crime, Drama, Music

Actor: Aure Atika, Emmanuelle Devos, Gilles Cohen, Jonathan Zaccaï, Justine Le Pottier, Linh Dan Pham, Mélanie Laurent, Niels Arestrup, Romain Duris, Vladislav Galard

Director: Jacques Audiard

Rating: NR

With his long and extensive career, it can feel that Steven Spielberg can direct everything. The question is, can he direct a movie that depicted one of the most important freedom suits America has ever faced? Amistad, titled after the ship in the case, is his attempt, and while it does employ some tired tropes and it is a tad lengthy, it does a fair job of balancing the real history and the cinematic drama. Detractors have denounced this film as a white savior narrative due to the way the characters that go through the most growth are the white characters, but it’s Cinqué’s story that moves us through Djimon Hounsou’s performance and Spielberg's direction. Amistad is not perfect, but it at least ensures that Cinqué’s actual life would be remembered and learned from for much longer.

Genre: Drama, History, Mystery

Actor: Allan Rich, Anna Paquin, Anthony Hopkins, Arliss Howard, Austin Pendleton, Castulo Guerra, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Daniel von Bargen, Darren E. Burrows, David Paymer, Denver Dowridge, Djimon Hounsou, Eric Bruno Borgman, Geno Silva, George Gerdes, Gerald R. Molen, Harry Groener, Hawthorne James, Jake Weber, Jeremy Northam, John H. Tobin, John Ortiz, Kevin J. O'Connor, León Singer, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Massee, Michael Riley, Morgan Freeman, Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Guilfoyle, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Pete Postlethwaite, Peter Firth, Ralph Brown, Razaaq Adoti, Roy Cooper, Rusty Schwimmer, Stellan Skarsgård, Tomas Milian, Victor Rivers, Willie Amakye, Xander Berkeley

Director: Steven Spielberg

Rating: R

2 Movies Like Arsène Lupin (2004)

1. The Beat That My Heart Skipped, 2005

2. Amistad, 1997