Elmore on film

I may take the advice from CrimeReads and watch a movie based on an Elmore Leonard book this weekend. There are several. One of my favorites:

Jackie Brown (1997)

It’s almost funny to think Tarantino only adapted Leonard once, the two artists are so (to my mind anyway) intertwined and in conversation. Here, Tarantino is adapting from Leonard’s South Florida yarn, Rum Punch, bringing, of course, his own preoccupations to the script and a few important changes to the titular character to accommodate the immense talents of Pam Grier. Jackie Brown brings the volatility inherent in all Leonard’s work to the fore. The set pieces are more dynamic and the encounters underlined with something bizarre and dangerous, and you’ve got good oddball turns from De Niro, Bridget Fonda, and Chris Tucker. But the heart of the story, and it’s a big heart, almost surprisingly so, is Robert Forster’s Max Cherry. He and Grier are undeniably electric.

Among the other recommendations: Get Shorty (1995), Out of Sight (1998), and, if I were inclined to commit a lot of time, (perhaps not this weekend),  Justified seasons 1–6 (2010 – 2015).

Dwyer Murphy, "Which Elmore Leonard Adaptation Should You Stream This Weekend?," CrimeReads, May 26, 2023.