Killshot Revisited

The first time I watched Killshot a while back, I thought it was pretty good.  Of course, it couldn't touch Elmore's writing, but isn't that always the case?  Well, unless Raylan Givens is involved, but I digress.  So, I watched Killshot again the other night and I'm elevating it to really good.  It was fast-paced, fun, and full of thrills, but it avoided becoming sensational or unbelievable in the way the action was presented.

Mickey Rourke was great as Blackbird even if he doesn't seem like a great choice to play an indian, and both Diane Lane and Thomas Jane were solid.  However, the real star here was JGL, who completely disappeared in the part of Richie Nix, a thoroughly unlikable low-rent hood with big dreams, a bigger mouth, and a very small brain.  He was awesome, and he gave the flick a lot of life. 

So, yeah, if you didn't catch Killshot when it hit the shelves (it was in limbo for a while before being released to little fanfare, so you may not have heard about it until now) or if you found it rather lukewarm on the first pass, give Killshot a chance.  Or a second play.  You know what I'm saying. 

Top 5 Elmore Leonard Books

I recently had the privilege of doing a Top 5 for the late Elmore Leonard, a man whose work I positively cherish.  I want to thank the cool people over at RVA Magazine for running it, and I encourage you to check it out:

Top 5 Elmore Leonard Books