Thanks again. Another movie I saw long ago. The only thing I remember from it is that James Woods' performance really stuck in my mind. After reading your review, I'm hesitant to say my memory of him is positive...in my defense, I was in my teens/twenties at the time - who knows anything at that age?
To be fair, it is a memorable performance and I think it was his breakout role. I just feel a bit sorry for John Savage, who is doing solid, understated work in this, and who had a habit of being solid and forgotten because he was up against the likes of Woods or - in the case of The Deer Hunter - De Niro, Walken, Cazale and Streep!
I have guarded respect for Joseph Wambaugh. The book I like is THE GLITTER DOME. Years ago I read several others, but at some point, they all seemed the same to me. At any rate, I have never seen a single movie adaptation, and, thanks to your many posts, now I don’t need to. You explain them all very well.
"Guarded respect" is the right and proper approach, I think. I've read a bunch of them and The Choirboys remains the standout for me, because it really does feel like he's lancing a boil with it. I don't know that he's ever written a bad book, per se, but I have limited patience for the "policeman's lot is not a happy one" bit.
As for the adaptations, the best is yet to come. It's the closest Wambaugh ever came to writing a Willeford novel.
Great post. I read The Onion Field last summer over the course of a weekend and naturally looked forward to seeing the adaptation. And, yes, I was disappointed. One thing I enjoyed about the book is that it meanders—it’s not a tightly-wound crime story—but that’s poison on screen.
Completely agree - the book's success is down to that and Wambaugh's clear commitment to the material, I think. And it's impossible to distill that story into a couple of hours, or at least it's a huge challenge for someone who was still a bit of a novice screenwriter. Today, it would probably be one of those limited series that nobody really watches, or a dubious true crime doc hidden away on Netflix.
Thanks again. Another movie I saw long ago. The only thing I remember from it is that James Woods' performance really stuck in my mind. After reading your review, I'm hesitant to say my memory of him is positive...in my defense, I was in my teens/twenties at the time - who knows anything at that age?
To be fair, it is a memorable performance and I think it was his breakout role. I just feel a bit sorry for John Savage, who is doing solid, understated work in this, and who had a habit of being solid and forgotten because he was up against the likes of Woods or - in the case of The Deer Hunter - De Niro, Walken, Cazale and Streep!
Savage really hasn't been recognized as much as he should have been/should be. Sadly, "subtle" or "understated" actors rarely are.
I have guarded respect for Joseph Wambaugh. The book I like is THE GLITTER DOME. Years ago I read several others, but at some point, they all seemed the same to me. At any rate, I have never seen a single movie adaptation, and, thanks to your many posts, now I don’t need to. You explain them all very well.
"Guarded respect" is the right and proper approach, I think. I've read a bunch of them and The Choirboys remains the standout for me, because it really does feel like he's lancing a boil with it. I don't know that he's ever written a bad book, per se, but I have limited patience for the "policeman's lot is not a happy one" bit.
As for the adaptations, the best is yet to come. It's the closest Wambaugh ever came to writing a Willeford novel.
looking forward!
Great post. I read The Onion Field last summer over the course of a weekend and naturally looked forward to seeing the adaptation. And, yes, I was disappointed. One thing I enjoyed about the book is that it meanders—it’s not a tightly-wound crime story—but that’s poison on screen.
Completely agree - the book's success is down to that and Wambaugh's clear commitment to the material, I think. And it's impossible to distill that story into a couple of hours, or at least it's a huge challenge for someone who was still a bit of a novice screenwriter. Today, it would probably be one of those limited series that nobody really watches, or a dubious true crime doc hidden away on Netflix.
Q: What's the difference between a bagpipe and an onion?
A: Nobody cries when you cut a bagpipe in half.