Donald Westlake writes wonderful, funny caper novels. Elmore Leonard writes wonderful, funny caper novels. *Why* can't Hollywood do them better justice? "Get Shorty" was a wonderful, funny caper movie. "The Hot Rock" has potential, but just doesn't make it. Excrutiatingly long breaking into and breaking out of scenes. Really bad editing so you just don't know who's doing what. When producers take these sorts of books they should stick to the written word, and most especially the dialogue as written in the book. Westlake's characters are great in the book, and for the most part, the actors in this movie do them justice. But rather than film them climbing once more over a wall, or chicken-walking down a really long boring white hall -- let them talk. And let us hear them. Focus on the characters, and how they are unique. I don't *care* about prison walls or prison hospitals or how many doors lead into a bank vault.
Review of The Hot Rock
