7 Movies That Inspired Netflix's Cowboy Bebop And How To Watch Them

When it comes to shaping the look and approach to his reinterpretation of the popular science fiction western anime for 2021 Cowboy bebopYour showrunner André Nemec wanted to create a series that doesn’t mimic the original, but instead imitates it ghost of that.

That meant looking back at the live-action films that first inspired director Shinichirō Watanabe as the Cowboy bebop was already produced in 1998 and reconstructed these inspirations in order to catalyze new scenarios and perspectives in the new Cowboy bebop Series. “We made a pretty long and comprehensive list and spent a lot of time really looking at the inspirations,” Nemec told Polygon earlier this year.

What was the list? Here’s a deeper dive into the seven films Nemec said they influenced the live action of Netflix Cowboy bebop, and where to see them.

The great sleep

Humphrey Bogart and Laruen Bacall in The Big Sleep.

Based on Raymond Chandler’s 1939 novel, Howard Hawks’ 1946 film noir classic The great sleep Humphrey Bogart plays Philip Marlowe, a Los Angeles private investigator hired to pay off the gambling debts of the wealthy General Sternwood’s youngest daughter. What begins as a routine case quickly escalates into a high-level investigation involving murder, extortion and conspiracy. Along with Vivian (Lauren Bacall), Sternwood’s eldest daughter, Marlowe must catch the real culprit behind the blackmail plan if he has hope of ridding Sternwood’s family – and himself – of this deadly secret. The joy of film, and what can inspire both Nemec and Watanabe, is the spiky script that is both muddled and sharp at the same time. Screenwriters Leigh Brackett, Jules Furthman, William Faulkner (yes, that William Faulkner) find the humor in Chandler’s writing, even when things take a turn or the grave happens.

The great sleep can be rented for $ 2.99 Amazon, Apple, and Vudu.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

Sergio Leone’s epic from 1966 The good, the bad, and the ugly is an indelible classic in the spaghetti western canon. Starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach as a trio of bounty hunters, outlaws and die-hard killers vying for a $ 200,000 gold pot in one comment. It unfolds in several explosive shootouts, hectic car chases and tense showdowns on the plains of a mythical desert, all framed by Leone’s characteristic use of total cameras and enhanced by Ennio Morricone’s impressive film music. The good, the bad, and the ugly

is a permanent cinematic touchstone for westerns and a good film for any storyteller to watch before staging a standoff. (Please refer “cowboy” in Cowboy bebop.)

The good, the bad, and the ugly is available for streaming HBO max.

Bonnie and Clyde

Arthur Penn’s biographical crime thriller Bonnie and Cozye was a countercultural phenomenon when it premiered in cinemas in 1967, vilified and known for its blatant portrayal of sex, violence and criminal addiction. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty play real outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as they lead their gang through the Depression-era United States in a campaign of vicious heist and bank robbery. Tirelessly pursued by the law and bypassing the catastrophe at every turn, Dunaway and Beatty are absolutely electrifying in their performances. The film sets a high bar for the new Cowboy bebop Cast, and what trailers suggest, is a wild, but often violent tone for the new series.

Bonnie and Clyde can be streamed

HBO max.

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey is an unassailable classic of science fiction cinema, a work of breathtaking visual performance and operatic proportions, whose legacy surpasses the breadth of film history as far as the shadow of one of its iconic monoliths. Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking 1968 film, co-written by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, follows Discovery One’s epic journey from Earth to Jupiter after discovering a mysterious artifact on the lunar surface. As humanity tries to gain an understanding of an unfathomable extraterrestrial intelligence far older and larger than their own, the journey becomes complicated as the AI on board responsible for Discovery One gains consciousness and tries to take the lives of its crew endanger. From the movie’s opening flashback to the beginning of human evolution to its dazzling and iconic “Star Gate” sequence, 2001: A Space Odyssey is an absolute must for any serious sci-fi fan. Also great spaceships. And Nemec has promised great spaceships.

2001: A Space Odyssey is available for streaming HBO max.

Dirty Harry

Clint Eastwood stars in Don Siegel’s 1971 action thriller Dirty Harry as “Dirty” Harry Callahan, a San Francisco Police Inspector known for unorthodox methods and a mercenary attitude towards murderers and criminals. When a serial sniper who calls himself “the Scorpion Killer” begins to terrorize the city, Callahan is tasked with catching the killer and bringing him to justice – by all means necessary. With exciting shootings, car chases and Eastwood’s grandiose performance, Dirty Harry the blueprint for police action thriller. Spike Spiegel may be the exact opposite of a cop, but he lives by a moral code while brandishing his gun.

Dirty Harry can be rented for $ 3.99 Amazon, Apple, and Vudu.

Deadly weapon

Detective Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson, right) with LAPD veteran Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover, left) in the 1987 film

Danny Glover and Mel Gibson in Richard Donner’s original 1987 buddy-cop action drama Deadly weapon as Roger Murtaugh (Glover), a seasoned LAPD detective just a few years before retirement; and Martin Riggs (Gibson), a stunned cop desperate over his wife’s death. When the two enter into a partnership, they must put their notable differences aside to defeat a formidable drug and prostitution ring led by General Peter McAllister (Mitchell Ryan). Deadly weapon saw Gibson and Glover at the height of their popularity when they spawned a series of sequels and a 2016 television series starring Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford. But between Glover’s “too old for this shit” straight-man personality and Gibson’s wild wildness, the original Deadly weapon remains the best entry in the series. You can easily see why someone like Nemec would look back on Donner’s film to find the ending for an IRL Spike and Jet Black.

Deadly weapon is available for streaming HBO max and peacock.

The crow

Based on James O’Barr’s darkest fantasy comic series, the superhero film T. by Dark City director Alex Proyas in 1994he crow plays the late Brandon Lee as Eric Draven, a poetic aspiring rock musician who, along with his fiancée Shelly, is brutally murdered by the henchmen of a powerful crime boss. On Halloween evening, a year after his murder, resurrected by a mysterious crow, Eric returns as a revenge angel with supernatural powers to take revenge on the criminals who stole his life. Notorious for the death of its star Brandon Lee, who was shot and mortally wounded during production, The crow is a breathtaking visual spectacle and a gripping revenge thriller. As many have noticed over the years, Watanabe seems pretty straight out of the movie for “Ballad Of Fallen Angels,” which the Netflix series is likely to interpret in its own way.

The crow is available for streaming Outstanding plus.