Jim Thompson - What's YOUR Favourite

[Andrew666]

Just watched The World, Then The Fireworks again and couldn't help wondering what your favourite movie based on a Jim Thompson novel might be. Here's a few to think on:

The Getaway (1972) - Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw in her prime. Directed by Sam Peckinpah - what a pedigree!



The Killer Inside Me (1976) - Stacy 'Mike Hammer' Keach and weirder-than-weird Susan Tyrrell

Serie Noire (1979) - Patrick Dewaere and Bernard Blier in a French version of Hell of A Woman set in Paris



Coup de Torchon (1980) - The great Betrand Tavernier directing and starring Phillippe Noiret and Isabelle Huppert - oh, and rockabilly singer Eddy Mitchell in a startling performance.

The Kill-Off (1989) - Vastly under-rated and starting the decade when Thompson was 're-discovered', Loretta Gross and Andrew Lee Barrett star.



After Dark, My Sweet (1990) with Rachel Ward, so it can't be all bad

The Grifters (1990) - What do you want me to say? Stephen Frears in the chair - John Cusack, Angelica Huston and gorgeous Annette Bening on the boards.



The Getaway (1994) - Kim Basinger looks good - and Alec Baldwin looks sharp.

Hit Me (1996) - Secret pleasure of mine - Elias Koteas and a strong appearance from William H Macy , a man born out of time if ever there was one.



This World, then The Fireworks (1997) - Steeped in period detail. Great performances from Billy Zane, drop-dead gorgeous Gina Gershon and mad-as-a-hatter Sheryl Lee.

The Killer Inside Me (2010) - Casey Affleck in fine form, Kate Hudson and oh boy, Jessica Alba too



So, come on, what's your favourite?

[Hard-Boiled-Rick]

My favorites are The Getaway (1972) and The Grifters (1990).

I have not seen Série noire (1979) and Tavernier’s Coup de Torchon (1980), but have placed them as top priorities on my watch list. Thanks Andrew.

I am also interested in another Jim Thompson – the Jim Thompson of Thai Silk fame. As a seasoned Asia hand, he worked for the Office of Strategic Services, under Wild Bill Donovan, setting up office in post WWII Bangkok. He supposedly disappeared in the highland jungles of Malaysia in 1967 – a fascinating story.

[Movie Memories]

I would also go with The Getaway (1972), The Grifters (1990), and The Killer Inside Me (2010), while not crazy about Casey Affleck's performance, he did have a creepy voice and I liked the ending.

I am also interested in another Jim Thompson – the Jim Thompson of Thai Silk fame.

A very interesting unsolved mystery. Goes for a walk, never returns. With his background, CIA maybe? Had the pleasure of being in Thailand about three years ago and I think they made his house into a museum.

[Steve-O]

The Grifters, After Dark My Sweet, and Série noire are my favorite by far. They are perfect in their own ways.

I can't get enough Steve McQueen flicks -- however I never warmed up to The Getaway (the remake with Alec Baldwin is horrible). Coup de Torchon is far too removed from the novel's setting for me to look at it as a noir. I tried to watch The Kill Off but I couldn't get through the poor copy I have of it. That could possibly be a hidden gem.

Both Killer Inside of Me attempts come up short for different reasons. The most recent just didn't seem to gel. The other suffers from (again) moving the setting of the book and a cheap look (though the two leads are fantastic.)

If you get a chance, see Série noire!

I have not seen Hit Me or The World, Then the Fireworks. I'm gonna soon!
The world, Then the Fireworks has a cool jazz soundtrack from what I can see... including this one from Chet Baker:

[Adam Lounsbery]

The Grifters is far and away my favorite adaptation of Thompson novel, but The Killer Inside Me 2010 is pretty good too. Winterbottom definitely captured a certain flavor of Thompson's world that I've never seen done as well before.

I'm curious to see the 1976 version with Stacy Keach. Steve-O, you said it suffered from a location change. Where was it set?

[Steve-O]

1976 was set in a Montana, 2010 it was Oklahoma... the novel it was in Texas.

[magus]

I've only seen a few - The Grifters, Coup de Torchon, the 2010 version of The Killer Inside Me, and both versions of The Getaway. Coup de Torchon is the best movie out of the ones I've seen. The Killer Inside Me was an odd case of an adaptation that was admirably close to the original novel and yet also inexplicably felt like it missed the mark. I did like it anyway.

I've read the novels that were made into After Dark My Sweet, Hit Me (based on A Swell-Looking Babe) and Serie Noire (based on A Hell of a Woman), so I'd be interested to see those. This World, Then the Fireworks also sounds good.

There's some other Thompson novels that would make great neo-noir as well - I'd like to see movie versions of Nothing More than Murder and Savage Night.

[Adam Lounsbery]

There's some other Thompson novels that would make great neo-noir as well - I'd like to see movie versions of Nothing More than Murder and Savage Night.

Savage Night, properly adapted, would be a ferociously weird film. That little baby foot with the toes curling and uncurling during lovemaking? Yikes!