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of a 1988 Letter Written to Actor Bruce Willis. The letter concerns the latter's role in the film adaptation of Leonard's novel Bandits.
"The script ignores the basic attitude of the book, its sound, the feeling that these are real people speaking ... The difference between the sound of the script and the sound of the book is jarring. The script is cold, loaded with directions that call for reactions ... In writing a book I want the reader (the audience) to react, not the characters. For example, when Delaney tells Roy a woman is physically abused every 18 seconds and Roy says 'You wouldn't think that many get out of line,' he's serious. He isn't going to wink, as in the script ... I get the feeling that Jack Delaney, in the script, is playing Bruce Willis ... his wanting to keep Lucy out of the actions is a tired old situation that sets women's rights back about 30 years ... The feeling I get is that characters have been stripped of their individuality in order to make them quickly recognizable ... Because you did say at the time we met that you like my work, I'm curious to know if you feel the script [by Harley Peyton] is an accurate adaptation of it."
All in all, some 700 civil but eviscerating words of detailed criticism. With Leonard's holograph note to his literary agent: "This is my response to Bruce Willis in regard to the Bandits script. Dutch." Fine.
of a 1988 Letter Written to Actor Bruce Willis. The letter concerns the latter's role in the film adaptation of Leonard's novel Bandits.
"The script ignores the basic attitude of the book, its sound, the feeling that these are real people speaking ... The difference between the sound of the script and the sound of the book is jarring. The script is cold, loaded with directions that call for reactions ... In writing a book I want the reader (the audience) to react, not the characters. For example, when Delaney tells Roy a woman is physically abused every 18 seconds and Roy says 'You wouldn't think that many get out of line,' he's serious. He isn't going to wink, as in the script ... I get the feeling that Jack Delaney, in the script, is playing Bruce Willis ... his wanting to keep Lucy out of the actions is a tired old situation that sets women's rights back about 30 years ... The feeling I get is that characters have been stripped of their individuality in order to make them quickly recognizable ... Because you did say at the time we met that you like my work, I'm curious to know if you feel the script [by Harley Peyton] is an accurate adaptation of it."
All in all, some 700 civil but eviscerating words of detailed criticism. With Leonard's holograph note to his literary agent: "This is my response to Bruce Willis in regard to the Bandits script. Dutch." Fine.