I'm a Elmore Leonard completest. I think I've read all his work. Including his great westerns. Raylan Givens is one of his most bad assed characters. This clip I got from AintItCool looks like it gets the character right. I hope this plays on Hulu or something so I get to watch it before DVD release. I even have the DEC 1953 issue of Argosy with Leonard's first published work. That took some ebay work to find that.
I have heard about Elmore Leonard from you and many other people through the years. I've seen several of the movies based on his books (3:10 to Yuma, Get Shorty) but I have only read one of his novels, "Unknown Man No. 89", which showed me how cool a writer he is. I should read more.
I also loved his "Ten Rules of Writing", especially "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip," and his most important rule, number 11 of 10, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."
This T.V. series looks pretty good, although Timothy Olyphant doesn't seem quite as bad ass in this clip as he did in "Deadwood" as Seth Bullock. Thanks for the post Ellis.
I feel the same way toward Leonard I feel toward John D MacDonald's Travis McGee. Much loved examples of heroic storytelling. Leonard's heroes can have a lot of flaws. Typically being some sort of petty criminal. But they are always the cool item. And you project into that coolness.
Unknown Man 89 also has a cool character that Leonard returned to almost as much as Raylan Givens. Jack Ryan. Ryan started breaking and entering in The Big Bounce.
Leonard I guess. The Big Bounce. Which has never been made into a decent movie in spite of two attempts. I'm trying to track down Maximum Bob. The series.
I have heard about Elmore Leonard from you and many other people through the years. I've seen several of the movies based on his books (3:10 to Yuma, Get Shorty) but I have only read one of his novels, "Unknown Man No. 89", which showed me how cool a writer he is. I should read more.
ReplyDeleteI also loved his "Ten Rules of Writing", especially "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip," and his most important rule, number 11 of 10, "If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it."
This T.V. series looks pretty good, although Timothy Olyphant doesn't seem quite as bad ass in this clip as he did in "Deadwood" as Seth Bullock. Thanks for the post Ellis.
I really liked the clip and thought they did a nice job of it. I too will read more Leonard; my 1/2 way to New Year's resolution.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way toward Leonard I feel toward John D MacDonald's Travis McGee. Much loved examples of heroic storytelling. Leonard's heroes can have a lot of flaws. Typically being some sort of petty criminal. But they are always the cool item. And you project into that coolness.
ReplyDeleteUnknown Man 89 also has a cool character that Leonard returned to almost as much as Raylan Givens. Jack Ryan. Ryan started breaking and entering in The Big Bounce.
Jack Ryan is also a Tom Clancy character. Who came first?
ReplyDeleteLeonard I guess. The Big Bounce. Which has never been made into a decent movie in spite of two attempts. I'm trying to track down Maximum Bob. The series.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.westword.com/2004-01-29/film/elmore-or-less/