Donald Westlake/Richard Stark

[Guy Savage]

Just wanted to let fans know that Westlake's novel MEMORY (written in the 60s) is published this week. Would make a great noir thriller, so all the directors out there better start scrambling for the film rights.
It's a great noir read from HARD CASE CRIME.

[Guy Savage]

What does it take to not be a SNITCH?

[JCharles]

Just wanted to let fans know that Westlake's novel MEMORY (written in the 60s) is published this week. Would make a great noir thriller, so all the directors out there better start scrambling for the film rights.
It's a great noir read from HARD CASE CRIME.

GS, Thanks for the tip. I actually picked up a copy last week, the early notices on it sound great. Novels by Westlake's nom de noir, Richard Stark, are also great reading. Some have been made into neo-noirs: The Outfit, Point Blank (both worth seeing) The Split, which I've yet to check out.

[slimdundee62]

Last night I picked up Richard Starks hardcover Ask The Parrot for $2 at Big Lots . They also had some Hard Case Crime for $2 including
Somebody Owes Me Money which is one of my faves by Westlake in the HCC series.

[JCharles]

Last night I picked up Richard Starks hardcover Ask The Parrot for $2 at Big Lots . They also had some Hard Case Crime for $2 including
Somebody Owes Me Money which is one of my faves by Westlake in the HCC series.

Ask the Parrot is a good one. I have Somebody Owes but have yet to read it. If you're looking for Starks, many of them have recently been republished by the University of Chicago Press. They are putting out the Parker series whereas HCC published one of the Stark-Blofeld books, Lemons Never Lie. One Stark that is still hard to find is Plunder Squad, which I had to borrow from a library to read. Incidentally, the events of Plunder Squad share a chapter with Joe Gores' Dead Skip, just from different points of view. If you like Westlake/Stark, you'll definitely dig Joe Gores, if you haven't discovered him already.

[Night Editor]

The U. of Chicago reprints are gold.

There's also the recently published 'Parker: the Hunter', adapted and illustrated by Darwyn Cooke. One of best graphic novels I've ever read (others think so too, as below)

http://books.livingsocial.com/books/...hunter/reviews

[Steve-O]

I agree! I bought the hard cover a few months ago and loved it! I believe there's a sequel in the works (Man With the Getaway Face, perhaps?)

[eubiecat]

http://www.dorchesterpub.com/Dorch/S...es.cfm?ID=2792

Above link is an interesting squib on the history of MEMORY...

[Steve-O]

Jason Statham is 'Parker' in Taylor Hackford's New Film Noir Thriller
April 18, 2011
Source: Variety
by Ethan Anderton



Since his 2010 film Love Ranch starring Joe Pesci went largely unnoticed, director Taylor Hackford (Ray) looks to be putting his talents to work on a film more appealing to general audiences. Variety reports the filmmaker will direct a new thriller called Parker, and Jason Statham (Crank, The Transporter) is in negotiations to star in the film as well. Based on series of novels by Donald Westlake, the story follows a thief who, though at times is forced to be a killer, still lives by a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it. His word is his bond, and if he is crossed he will strike back. Read on!

This definitely sounds like a job for Jason Statham, and considering Westlake has written no less than sixteen novels featuring the titular character. This isn't the first time, the character has been seen on screen as films like Payback (with Mel Gibson) and The Outfit (with Robert Duvall) were adapted from stories featuring Parker, though his character name was changed for the films themselves. Hackford is looking forward to making this his first sort of film noir saying, "I don't want to get stuck in a genre. What I like the most about this piece of material is that you can take a genre piece like this and turn it into a great movie." The role seems like old trick for Statham, but with someone like Hackford behind the camera, this could be interesting.

hmm... I think he might be a good choice actually. Funny that the article doesn't mention the BEST Parker movie Point Blank.

[magus]

I think Jason Statham would be a good fit for the Parker character. Given his previous movies, though, I'd be concerned that the film-makers may turn it into a straightforward action picture rather than going for a thriller style. The bit about "a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it" doesn't sound like Richard Stark's Parker, either - that quote makes it sound like he's some kind of modern Robin Hood!

[Adam Lounsbery]

I think Jason Statham would be a good fit for the Parker character. Given his previous movies, though, I'd be concerned that the film-makers may turn it into a straightforward action picture rather than going for a thriller style. The bit about "a code of honor that includes never stealing money from people who need it" doesn't sound like Richard Stark's Parker, either - that quote makes it sound like he's some kind of modern Robin Hood!

I agree that it makes him sound like Robin Hood, but technically it's not untrue. I don't recall Parker ever stealing a destitute family's meager life savings.

The best argument for Jason Statham as Parker I can think of is his role in The Bank Job. I thought that was a really solid heist movie, and I thought Statham was great in it. There were some action scenes, but I certainly wouldn't call it an action movie.