The story is pretty close to the original 1954 film, but Harrison Ford makes the character of Linus much more human and believable than Bogart. There are some occasional smiles and self-deprecating humor and genuine warmth that comes across.
I also think that Ormond is better as Sabrina. She really embodies the role and shows some real emotion. You can feel her heart break at the culmination, while Hepburn's Sabrina takes it in stride as if she knew all along that it was going to go that way.
Bogart's Linus was stiff and robotic and while there were a few moments of vulnerability, he just didn't seem to pull that off without it seeming contrived. Bogart was also just too old for this role. There was no chemistry and it was not believable that Sabrina could find him anything but a father figure (the actor who played her father was 4 years *younger* than Bogart).
At the heart of the movie is the budding romance between the two main characters and the romance between Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond is believable. There is real passion in both of their performances but Ford's performance Is really subtle and nuanced in the way he shows the infallible and ruthless business tycoon on the one hand and the uncertain and almost shy and vulnerable romantic on the other.
I also think that Ormond is better as Sabrina. She really embodies the role and shows some real emotion. You can feel her heart break at the culmination, while Hepburn's Sabrina takes it in stride as if she knew all along that it was going to go that way.
Bogart's Linus was stiff and robotic and while there were a few moments of vulnerability, he just didn't seem to pull that off without it seeming contrived. Bogart was also just too old for this role. There was no chemistry and it was not believable that Sabrina could find him anything but a father figure (the actor who played her father was 4 years *younger* than Bogart).
At the heart of the movie is the budding romance between the two main characters and the romance between Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond is believable. There is real passion in both of their performances but Ford's performance Is really subtle and nuanced in the way he shows the infallible and ruthless business tycoon on the one hand and the uncertain and almost shy and vulnerable romantic on the other.