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A spy delivers a mercy KILLSHOT into the skull of the new Elmore Leonard adaptation!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. This review makes me sad. Elmore Leonard's works seem to either really, completely succeed as big screen adaptations or fail so miserably. Sounds like this one doesn't work, but keep in mind this is a work in progress and not the finished product. I'm not really a fan of John Madden's work, but I am hopeful he turns this one around. Enjoy the review!
Howdy. I just saw a New York screening of KILLSHOT. This was a working print, but seemed pretty complete. A couple of incomplete effects shot, some wonky shot quality, all the normal stuff. The sound seemed pretty solid (if desperate in need of some level correcting). I have no idea if the music was the potential final music. It seemed to fit, if unimpressive. But enough of that.
KILLSHOT is an adaptation of the Elmore Leonard book of the same name. I like Leonard's books, if his movies have been hit and miss. His stories always rely on the strength of off kilter characters played with a certain amount of truth.
It was directed by John Madden of SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE (which was cute, if over hyped), PROOF (which I enjoyed, but not as much as the play), and CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN (enough said).
The plot? I'm too lazy to give a summary. Let's just use IMdB's:
"Beautiful Carmen Colson (Diane Lane) and her ironworker husband Wayne (Thomas Jane) are placed in the Federal Witness Protection program after witnessing an extortion scheme go wrong. Thinking they are at last safe, they are targeted by an experienced intimidating hit man (Mickey Rourke) and a psychopathic young upstart killer (Joe Gordon Levitt). The ensuing struggle will test Carmen to the limit." It also has Johnny Knoxville as a U.S. Marshal.
It started out well. Less humorous than I was expecting, but with a nice stylized noir feel. The characters are all introduced nicely and I was just settling in for a nice suspenseful crime tale. But the then the plot kicked in.
The pacing was off the entire film. Too slow at places, too kinetic in others. The scenery is wasted for the most part, and the it is rare that the film captures the style shown in the first five minutes. The suspense almost none existent, except in for me waiting for characters to be less annoying.
Don't get me wrong. Some of the performance were quite good Levitt continues to impress me with his work. Rourke is in his normal groove, entertaining to a point. But his character is the standard "life weary hitman with a spiritual side." He's also play part Native American with a crap load of makeup. Most of the time it was fine. But in some scenes the makeup is washed out and plastic looking. He also mentions that he had two brothers, on of whom was killed. i thought he said his last name was Vega, so I spent the first half of the movie wondering is KILLSHOT somehow fit into Tarantino's universe. (Turns out it was 'Degas,' not 'Vega.' My bad.) Rourke adds little to the part.
Diana Lane and Thomas Jane's characters are written blandly and played them that way. Jane has always been the American Chistophe Lambert, and acts about as well. Rosario Dawson's part might as well just be cut from the film. It adds little and is just disturbing. Johnny Knoxville is just horrendous but that will surprise few.
This type of dry crime humor is usually right up my alley (think Fargo). But it fails so completely here. Everyone is playing is so straight and the film is shot so straight, that any humor just gets buried. Well, Knoxville is playing over the top. Sigh.
One last point. The final climax was shot so completely wrong. I want to give no spoilers, but it begs for a side shot. But Madden goes for and over should shots that had little drama. the climax ends on such a cliched note and with so little gravitas that the only reason I knew it was the climax was that there was no where else for the film to go.
Anyway, I did have fun filing out the questionnaire, so that's something.
Just call me, SixSider
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poop.
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Sure is hit and miss when adapted to the screen. Mostly miss. But hey, that's why people should read the goddamn books. You know, like movies, but with words and paper and shit. They're pretty cool.
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It was actually fleshed out better and in turn more compelling. Yes, I did read the book (it was very short).
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Jun 22, 2006 8:51:16 AM CDT
I still say make a movie adaptation of Unknown Man *89
by seppukudkurosawa
and, here's the crux, don't...change...a...thing. Keep it in the era and of the era; which is to say don't make it some camp 70's retro-fest. Keep the characters exactly the same, keep the lead's fondness for rice and vegetables, keep EVERYTHING. If you do this successfully, you will have a great movie on your hands. This is the key to Elmore Leonard movie adaptations. You could say something along the lines of, "-but this is a MOVIE not a book". Mmhmm, but if there's one author alive whose work translates to the screen perfectly, that's Elmore. That is when done right (see above for how). Hell, if you want to revive the Western genre, just adapt a few more of his Western stories. Or even do a Sin City-esque job on 3 of them and make them all inter-link. Shame Killshot doesn't look like it's been pulled off. Hopefully it doesn't stunt the chances of someone else pulling one off right.
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A nice, solid peek at a wip and with enough 'cred' to not be plantish, but enough spunk to make you feel like a movie fan is talking with you. Nice job. Leonard's films ARE hit or miss. It'll be interesting to see how this develops.
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Just finished this book last fuckin night! Didn't know a movie was coming! The cast sounds great, except for Jane, who's character is supposed to be a tough-as-nails ironworker. This review makes me sad. The ending was a little too anti-climatic but I still thought it would make a good movie.
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..... I just checked IMDB for other Leonard adaptations. 3:10 To Yuma (anyone read that?) is being directed by James Mangold. Tom Cruise & Eric Bana are rumored to star. Tishomingo Blues (anyone read that?) is being directed by Don Cheadle who is costarring w/ Matthew McConaughey. Both are due in '07. My wife read Tishomingo Blues & liked it alot.
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Tishomingo Blues was a great book, with many many many twists and turns. Elmore's movies may be hit-or-miss, but his books are consistantly great.
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Nice job with the sarcasm but yes King and Leonard are actually writers and great ones at that.
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The only reason why this sint being called a plant is because its negative that is all. If it was positive this board would be screaming plant as usual.
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...I think Out of Sight is heads and shoulders above the other adaptations, and THAT certainly took some liberties with the source material. ****** Also -- am I alone in thinking that the movie Get Shorty really sucked?
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was a great read. Too bad about Matthew McConaughey. That guy sucks.
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Another example of a movie (slightly) bettering the book. (Different author, I know). I would love to see film adaptations of Split Images, High Noon in Detroit, and Freaky Deaky, but no one will improve on what we film in our minds while reading, right? I agree with the previous comment that they must take place in the time they were written, and no more of this post-modern adaptation bullshit -- stick with the period. Period.
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I thought Get Shorty was easily as good as Out Of Sight. Very well written and very funny.
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I usually remember movies very specifically, and that one I barely recall whatsoever. I remember seeing it in the theater with a friend and we both thought it was just painfully bad. But then, I'm the guy who hated L.A. Confidential, too, so there ya go.
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Yeah, I talk like that in real life, too. See, the thing is this reviewer (we'll call him SixSider) CLAIMS to enjoy Elmore Leonard's works, but, based on his review, it seem that the only Leonard works that he's read are the one's that have ALREADY been made into movies and certainly not Killshot. Why? Because Killshot (the novel) ain't humorous, not even remotely. So for SixSider to have expected it to be so ("[l]ess humorous than I was expecting") tells me right away that he's never touched this book. Get Shorty, it ain't, but, now that I think about it, even Get Shorty (and Be Cool) are far more serious than the resulting films. Additionally, his statement that Leonard's "stories always rely on the strength of off kilter characters played with a certain amount of truth" tells me even more. How do you PLAY a character in a BOOK? And OFF KILTER? WHAAAAT!?!? Not even close to understanding that except in the light of some of the wacky nuts in the movie versions of Be Cool, Get Shorty, and that abortion with Owen Wilson as well as the fact that off-kilter seems a very CINEMATIC way of looking at things. Most Elmore Leonard novels concern very REAL characters in a very REAL world of crime and law enforcement. Check out Stick with Burt Reynolds for probably the best ever adaptation of a Leonard novel. Killshot, published in 1989, lacks the Hollywood wackiness of other Leonard movie adaptations. It's a real shame about the other non-story related portions (make-up, pacing, etc.) of the movie because Killshot, like almost all Leonard novels, was a damned fine read.
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You know, with that whole "last sentence" of yours.
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It is true I have not read KILLSHOT, and most of the ones I have are ones that have been made into movies. Here's the ones I've read. Rum Punch, Last Stand at Saber River, The Switch, Out of Sight, Cuba Libre, Freaky Deaky, Touch, Get Shorty. (I might be missing one or two.
So it was probably wrong for me to go in with humor expectations. However, after the first 5 minutes I was all set to see a good dark noir crime yarn. And it was clear where they were trying for dry humor. They just lacked.
Oh, and sorry for all the typos. I went out drinkin' afterwards. Sigh. -
A little Seinfeld humor there. It's also redundant to say, but Jackie Brown is also an excellent adaptation of Rum Punch, in spite of the liberties it takes, it is still very faithful. Tarantino was originally going to write/direct Killshot a long time ago as well. And we can all agree that Be Cool was the worst adaptation ever. Not only was the book not great, but the tone was completely changed and it was just an awful, awful movie. Do not get me started on Be Cool...I've also read Killshot and it is a good book with some absolutely great villains.
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Go fuck yourself, Jarv. Argue on humor?!?! When the fuck did I "argue on humor" other than to say that Killshot ain't humorous? But you're right some people find humor where others don't. For instance, I find it humorous that you say *I* need a valium when I claimed Killshot wasn't humorous while you then go on to state that humor is in the "eye of the beholder." I guess the need for valium is, too, you fucking idiot. Know what else I find funny? The fact that you try to twist that I said that Get Shorty and Be Cool are far more serious than the resulting films into some statement that the books are not humorous when, in fact, there's usually some element of humor in them (in a very "black" sense. You spell using the forms normal in England. I assume, therefore, that you speak it and know the difference. "Far more serious" means something different than "not humorous." Many of the characters thoughts in Leonard's novels are laugh-out-loud funny in a dark, fucked up way. That clear enough for you? Finally, know what else I find funny? The post RIGHT AFTER YOURS in relation to your own, Jarv-ass! You can take whatever the hell you want from my post, but I'd suggest that you do so with a double dose of Ridalin to get that ADD under control so that you know what's being said, NOT what you THINK is being said.
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Thanks for the review, anyway. One thing I can't stand is bad make-up. You know, the kind that gets applied liberally to the face and hands, but stops there so that the effect VANISHES at the neck and wrists. Bad directing as far as I'm concerned. Thanks, again.
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In the above (just re-read it). That'll teach me to post as soon as I wake up. My bad!
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Clicks looks like EXACTLY the kind of MOR funny movie with a good message that I'll really enjoy. So, just like the relativity of humor, don't be too fucking certain, Jarv.
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Enough Said
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...Unkown Man #89 is a great book. I'd love it if they kept it in the 70s as well. After reading it though, I figured it would never get made (and i think at one point that was one of the few books of his that wasn't optioned). Tishomingo Blues I'm also looking forward to. But what I really want to see is Cuba Libre... weren't the Coen Bros. attached to that at one point? I also wouldn't mind seeing Pronto and Riding the Rap... after all, that's where I got my aintitcool talkback name.
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...until Be Cool came out and decided, rather than remaining true to its own novel, that it would essentially duplicate the adaptation of Get Shorty so Travolta could essentially sleepwalk through the thing with a shit-eating grin on his face. I honestly think Be Cool the movie somehow managed to diminish my enjoyment of Get Shorty the movie by association. I can't think of any other sequel that made the original shittier for me. Not even Highlander 2 or Godfather II, and those are two of the worst movies I can think of.
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...do you mean that, or is that a typo?
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Surely you mean Godfather III. If not, I propose you be banned from this site, if not the entire Internet.
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...it insists on itself, Lois. HOLY CRAP IN A HAT! DID I REALLY TYPE THAT? Of course I meant III. Stupid fast fingers! I must now go whip myself while kneeling over my Godfather II DVD and reciting lines from the DeNiro segments in Italian. As a sign of respect, si?. Mea culpa, all. Mea maxima fucking culpa. But I won't apologize to Coppola for that typo until he apologizes for the momentary lapse of reason that resulted in part III. ;)
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I couldnt have agreed with Peter more. Ive never been able to get into Godfather, Give me Goodfellas or Once Upon A Time In American anyday. Now you guys know my dirty little secret.
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Screw Matthew McConawhatever. I listened to the Audio-Book of Tishomingo Blues while driving and it was read by Paul Rudd. He should be in this. Something like this could actually put him over.
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Really, I didn't like nearly as much as "Pronto", "Riding the Rap" or "Maximum Bob".
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Don't hold a candle to Death Blow or Sack Lunch.
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Me gusta Leonard
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...You really had me worried there for a sec. I was just about to put the X on you.
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It was actually pretty good, from what I remember of it. Kind of like Twin Peaks in Florida without the murder mystery.
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Its funny he read cue cards on most of his acting roles... Amazing..
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...on the back of my head was after I finished typing that "O." Turns out it was about a thousand little red laser sighting devices. Let me say again and for the record that I think Godfather II is one of nature's perfect films. It is also one of a mere handful of sequels that improves upon the original (Empire Strikes Back, Wrath of Khan, X2 and, arguably, Spidey 2 being others). I would never intentionally or knowoingly say or type anything to besmirch its reputation. I apologize to film afficianados the world over for my clumsy, over-eager fingers and hope this will not diminish my credibility as a movie geek in any way. Godfather III, however...well...Coppola must've been tasting a lot of his own wine during that whole decisionmaking process. That's the only way I can imagine him thinking it was any good. I mean, did he ever watch dailies on that thing? Anyway, to sum up...Godfather II=one of my very favorites of all time, Godfather III=the Fredo of the franchise. "You broke my heart, Francis!"
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I need to see that sometime. I was just unmoved by the first one so I just stopped.
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This is the guy who brought us pained looks while being raped by Paulina Porizkova. The man who said, "Both your sons" with a smile. The Brando who's not afraid to talk into inanimate objects as if they're a person or a telephone. I'm sorry. Thomas Jane can do no wrong. If he's in the movie, I'm there.
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I've never had an affinity for those films, either. THE CONVERSATION is Coppola's true shining moment.
As for modern gangster films, STATE OF GRACE is majestic, and I prefer GOODFELLAS to the GODFATHER saga as well... -
Richie Nix and Ferris Britton should bring the funny and there should be an underlying deadpan humour to the relationship between Mr & Mrs Colson but the book is pretty dark, one of my favourite Leonard books (if not my favourite) I'm glad to hear Rosario Dawsons scene is disturbing, I was afraid they'd pussy out and hold back, in the book it shows you just how fucked up Nix and The Blackbird are. I still have hope for this film but I'm pretty sure it wont be as compelling as the book. On the subject of good Leonard adaptations I recommend you all track down a copy of Mr. Majestyk with Charles Bronson,it's exactly like the book and succeeds because of it.
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Frankenheimer's take on Leonard. The only adpatation so far to get what hard-boiled means. And very fucking funny indeed. Get Shorty was Leonard's revenge on Hollywood and not a real thriller. The only other adaptations worth shit, but still flawed, are Out of Sight and Stick (Burt Reynolds in Sharkey's mode).
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First of all, I gotta disagree with this guy about Thomas Jane. I mean maybe he's bad in this movie, I won't know until it comes out, but I don't think you'd be dismissing his whole career if you saw STANDER. He's fuckin spectacular in that. I also liked him in THE PUNISHER though so what do I know. Second, I agree with Mickey, 52 PICKUP is a pretty good adaptation. That's the lean, brutal Elmore Leonard, not the partly wacky one. I also love MR. MAJESTYK, but that's not really an adaptation, he wrote the script before the book and didn't really like the resulting movie. Then of course OUT OF SIGHT and JACKIE BROWN are the masterpieces of the bunch. I didn't see the MAXIMUM BOB series somebody mentioned but did anyone else watch KAREN SISCO? I thought it was pretty good and I was surprised how quickly Carla Gugino replaced Jennifer Lopez as Karen Sisco in my mind. I wonder what's keeping them so long putting that out on the DVD? Finally on the topic of Charles Willeford, I disagree that MIAMI BLUES is better than the book, although it is a real fun movie. There's only two other Willeford adaptations and both are good: COCKFIGHTER and THE WOMAN CHASER, a more recent independent one starring Patrick Warburton and for some reason only released on VHS.
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so don't worry too much, folks.
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The Godfather II is a fantastic film, well deserving of all of its accolades. But The Godfather I is the finest film ever made. I enjoy other films more, including Goodfellas, but The Godfather is the most well-crafted film of all-time. The story is fantastic, the acting is extrodinary, and it is simply a beautiful film. And if Coppola is going to be brought up, let's not forget his Vietnam/Heart of Darkness masterpiece Apocalypse Now, which should have won him another Oscar.
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He didn't even win Best Director for the first one? What the fuck is wrong with the Academy. There's lots of dumb shit like this with them, none as stupid as Ordinary People winning Best Picture over Raging Bull. Biggest load of crap ever.
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It's been a long time since I've been called a retard. 3rd grade, I think.
I never saw STANDER. I am basing my feelings of Jane on DEEP BLUE SEA, DREAMCATCHER and, yes, THE PUNISHER.
Levitt's Nix is great. I just wish his performance was in a different film. Who knows. Maybe some heavy edits can change this film up. Could happen.
This was the first screening I've been at where I actually heard boos. Not a lot, but a few. (And there was a few scattered claps... so, again, who knows.) -
Jun 23, 2006 12:44:41 AM CDT
Most Leonard adapts miss the spirit of his writing...
by the atomic worm
...also, keepcoolbutcare, sack, shit. You know the drill.
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Well, not really. But Leonard is a great example of someone who looks so easy to adapt that his stuff seems to fool people in the same way McMurtry and Bradbury's stuff does. The worst thing to do is simply take the dialogue as-is and shoot the thing head-on. Their stuff "sounds" so realistic on the page, but it ain't--it's CONVINCING, which does NOT mean it's believable off the page. I am not a big Soderberg fan but he did a great job with Out of Sight because he reconceived the thing for cinema. It's been a long time since I read the book, but I didn't see Karen Sisko as being so perfectly glamorous--to me, she seemed a little rougher, like the REAL women bounty hunters, who may wear makeup but aren't as glamorous as Jennifer Lopez. Soderberg glamorized the material because as he read it, that's what it demanded. I think the answer is simple: Get a writer who isn't afraid to simplify the book, use choice bits and pieces of dialogue, and then, don't direct the book, direct the script. (I think that's why Bogdanovich did such a great job with Last Picture Show but comepletely ruined Texasville--watching that disaster, I kept wondering if he understood Texasville, because he stepped right onto the most obvious bannana peel and tried to make it a "comedy" instead of letting the humor emerge from the material. The whole movie just LOOKED wrong, and we were supposed to find the antics just so darned charming...but the material flopped on its face from the very first scene.)
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I can't think of a living director who could make Pynchon's V. into a good movie. Aronofsky?
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Damn, I forgot all about Touch and that's from two perspectives. I really liked the book (like all Elmore Leonard's) and when I heard about the movie I was all pumped about seeing it. Then I just... forgot about it. You actually reminded me about it just now. So, you like Touch the best? Seen all the rest (Stick, Get Shorty, Mr. Majestyk, Hombre, etc.)? Read all the stories? (I've read at least 30 of his novels and maybe more as usually I'll be picking up a Leonard that I think I haven't read and realize quickly that I have.) All right then, 'nuff said, 'bout Touch. I'll be picking up Touch the movie tonight to give it a look see and I'll be right back with you tomorrow on my take on it. Thanks for the recommendation. Sorry about the snippiness. Might just've been my writer's block being taken out on you. Sorry. Talk to you tomorrow about Touch. Thanks again.
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oh shit! Elmore Leonard keeps getting assraped by hollywood. I mean, Knoxville? What the fuck!!!!
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Oh, probably.
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