That was an excellent one.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Elmore Leonard books rarely adapt to good movies. Something about the breezy, sleazy thrillers with undercurrents of dark comedy get lost in the big screen. For every Get Shorty there is a Cat Chaser or The Big Bounce.Set in late 1970s Detroit, Louis (John Hawkes) and Ordell (Mos Def) are small time crooks who kidnap an ageing trophy wife Mickey Dawson (Jennifer Aniston) of a crooked property developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins.) When Frank gets a ransom demand he does not want to pay as he plans to run off with his younger mistress.Mickey reaches out for her survival instincts as at least as Louis and Ordell come across as nice bumblers. It is Monk the neo nazi pervert whose house that Mickey is holed up in who poses a threat.Despite a strong performance from Aniston this is a flat and inert movie which lacks the swagger that an Elmore Leonard adaptation should have.

With a generous peppering of dark humor, some all around great acting and a vibe that just drips late 1970's, Life of Crime is a fun ride. While it's inevitably compared with other similar films, I prefer to just look at it on its own. To that end, I'd caution a potential viewer against expecting pure comedy - the situation and some of the characters are definitely disturbing in some aspects. But the cast clicks well together and makes those funny moments hit home. Another caution - if you're not into period feel, you may find this film frustrating to watch. It's so well-placed in 1978 that it looks like it could have actually been filmed then (well except for modern technical details). I did notice one anachronism but apart from that it was flawless in depicting its era.In short, it's a great flick to watch if you're in the mood for something gritty and dotted with black comedy, something funky and unusual with a lot of sleaze and just enough class thrown in to make its story worth your time.

It's 1978 Detroit. Louis Gara (John Hawkes) and Ordell Robbie (Yasiin Bey) are petty criminal best friends. Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins) is a brash abusive real-estate developer. While Frank and his son Bo are away, Louis and Ordell with neo-Nazi Richard Monk kidnap Frank's wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston). Marshall Taylor (Will Forte) had interrupted the kidnapping but he is unwilling to reveal the crime. Meanwhile Frank is in the Bahamas with girlfriend Melanie (Isla Fisher). He tells her that he's getting divorced. The kidnappers want $1 million ransom but it's questionable if Frank would ever pay.This is an Elmore Leonard movie or a pale imitation of one. It has the bare bones of unconventional lowlife characters and their desperate eccentric idiocy that is the world of Elmore Leonard. It has some good actors. There are some fun wild moments like a lit cigarette in the eye. However Daniel Schechter doesn't have quite enough skills to bring Elmore's words into full bloom.

This 2014 comedy slipped into and out of theaters this fall faster than a rumor. It's based on Elmore Leonard's novel, The Switch. Directed by Daniel Schechter, it features Jennifer Aniston (Mickey), Mos Def (Ordell), John Hawkes (Louis), and a strong supporting cast. (Several characters, including the two male leads were revisited in Quentin Tarantino's considerably more violent Jackie Brown, based on another Elmore Leonard novel, Rum Punch.) Much more The Ransom of Red Chief than Fargo, Life of Crime is about a kidnapping gone wrong. Louis and Ordell snatch trophy-wife Mickey only to find out her husband (Tim Robbins) is on the verge of divorcing her anyway. If they carry out their threats to kill her, they'll save him millions in settlement costs.Much of the humor comes from the bumbling characters who muddy the kidnappers' scheme. They've sought the help of a Nazi-loving nut case (Mark Boone Junior) who has a spare room where they can stash Mickey, and she is pursued by a hapless and creepily smitten tennis club dad (Will Forte). The only sharp knife in the drawer is the husband's new girlfriend (Isla Fisher), who's just too smart for her own good. Critics mostly objected to the film's relatively low energy, lack of real menace (played more for comedy than chills), and perhaps the false expectation of Jackie Brown/Tarantino-style violence.(Trivia note: The title may have been changed from Leonard's original because Aniston starred in a totally different comedy titled The Switch in 2010, and in an eruption of self-referential promotion, the DVD for Life of Crime included previews for both The Switch and Jackie Brown.)