Saw the movie when it came out, enjoyed it for the characters and unusual ending, IMO a minor classic. Just got around to reading the book. Amazed at how well the film folloed the novel. Offhand, can't think of another adaptation that hasbeen converted as well. Shame the film didn't do better. Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen were very good together in the roles of Virgil and Everett, would have liked to see what they could hae done with the other two books.
shareThe film actually made a little money and got a lot of favorable critical attention, which seems to be all Ed Harris had in mind. He made the film as a labor of love, he said. Several of the other actors were friends or family; the judge was his father. He said he wouldn't have done it if Viggo Mortensen had not said yes to it; they worked together on A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE and found their acting styles worked well together. EH felt he needed someone whose face and body language he could use as the focal point of the film, and he didn't want to take that role and also direct (he may also have felt it didn't suit him). If you noticed, almost every scene in the film uses VM as if he were the central character, yet his role is written as the second. It's a nice way for a director to work, and not all that common.
I for one am glad they didn't try for any sequels. IMO the rest of the books are inferior. This one has such a nice rounded finish to it,too.
I for one am glad they didn't try for any sequels. IMO the rest of the books are inferior. This one has such a nice rounded finish to it,too.
Glad to hear it was a faithful adaptation of the book. There are so few these days!
FYI - It's "read" not "red" - even in the past tense.