Adaptations

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Bullet Train: A Movie Review

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

Bullet Train (2022) is a wild ride from start to finish, with plenty of plot twists and great fight scenes that keep your eyes glued to the screen. But, it isn’t just the action that holds your attention, it’s how the story unfolds and how unique characters interact with each other.

Have you ever watched a B movie, and immediately notice that the actors seem to be portraying stereotypes, rather than real human beings? It could be the dialogue is so poorly written, that the actors don’t have much to work with. On the other hand, even if the story is based on great source material, if the actors lack talent or experience, they might still sound like the after-hour voice recording for a drug store, “If you’d like to use our automated prescription service….” Fortunately, in Bullet Train, screenwriter Zak Olkewicz had great material to adapt, there were experienced actors who could bring the characters to life, and Director David Leitch knows how to film a great action scene.

One of the characters introduced in Kotaro Isaka’s novel Bullet Train is Prince, a malevolent teenager who manipulates schoolmates and adults, enjoying their suffering. Joey King’s portrayal is spot-on, as she effortlessly switches from the heartless vixen, to the scared, vulnerable adolescent, influencing the actions of other passengers.

Lemon is an assassin, and what makes his character memorable are his constant referrals to the the children’s series, Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (1984-2021). The sharp contrast between the brutal killer and the childlike obsession makes him seem like a real person, because he doesn’t fit a particular stereotype. The same technique was used with the character Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (2007.) Delores Umbridge always wears pink, and her office walls are lined with images of kittens, yet she’s a cruel, pitiless tyrant.

And then there’s Ladybug, the main character portrayed by Brad Pitt. It’s easy to relate to Ladybug, because he seems to be plagued by bad luck. We’ve all had days when we can’t seem to get anything right. Just imagine having a day like that, but you’re on a train with a group of assassins, and just one wrong move could cost you your life.

Why is Bullet Train a great movie? It begins with Kotaro Isaka’s brilliant novel, introducing interesting characters and a unique setting. In the screenplay, Zak Olkewicz tightens the plot, and eliminates unnecessary characters. Director David Leitch finds just the right balance between action and story, accentuating the dark humour. And finally, the actors bring the characters to life. If you can’t leave your seat, because want to know what happens next to the characters, then the filmmakers have been successful.

P.S. I continue to celebrate small wins. I had an article, “Taking A Shot At Unscripted Television,” published in the July-September 2022 issue of Westword, the Magazine of the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.

Copyright © 2022 by J. Paul Cooper

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The Stranger

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

It’s a useful habit to develop, when you see an interesting movie or television series title, look it up on the Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com. Scroll down to the Writing credits, which are listed directly beneath the Directing credits. This is a great way to discover authors you may not have known about. That’s what I did when I noticed The Stranger (2020) listed on Netflix. The series is based on the novel by Harlen Coben published in 2015.

It’s an excellent series, and unique, because it’s an American story, adapted for a British setting. The main character’s children play lacrosse in the novel, but play soccer in the series. (Apparently, soccer is referred to as football outside North America and the NFL would be called American Football. There’s also the CFL-Canadian Football League-with rules slightly different from the NFL.)

What I appreciate about casting in the United Kingdom is that the characters feel more like someone you might actually live next door to, or work with. There seems to be less stress on how good-looking someone is, and more emphasis on whether the person actually fits the role. Realistic characters, combined with the very real possibility of being the victim of an internet blackmail scam, and you have a story that draws you in. The novel is a page-turner, and the series is hard stop watching.

I was surprised I had never heard of this author before, because Harlen Coben (www.harlencoben.com) has the kind of career many writers dream of. As well as an impressive list of published books, several have been adapted for series by Netflix. Looking up The Snowman (2017) on the Internet Movie Database is also how I learned about Jo Nesbo, a very successful Norwegian author.

I realize that envy isn’t a healthy emotion, but it can be discouraging when making the transition from part-time to full-time writer feels impossible. I suppose the question we have to ask ourselves is: Do I love writing? If you do love writing, then there’s really no reason to stop. My plan is to keep writing until the funeral home employees take me to the crematorium, and I don’t complain about the heat.

Copyright © 2022 by J. Paul Cooper

Note: If you haven’t heard about it yet, there’s an interesting development in the self-publishing industry: Smashwords is being acquired by Draft2Digital. I have two eBooks with Draft2Digital (Hunting Teddy Bears, Jack: a Lady’s Cat) and one with Smashwords (What If? A Collection of Short Fiction by J. Paul Cooper.)

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Preparing For The End

/ J. Paul Cooper / Leave a comment

A Shock to the System (1990) starring Michael Caine is an adaptation of the novel by Simon Brett, published in 1984. What makes this adaptation particularly interesting, is how the main character has to change for the two different endings to work. At the end of the novel, Graham Marshall is about to be arrested for three murders; a homeless man, his wife, and his new boss. At the end of the movie, he gets away with those three murders and the murder of a company executive. Graham Marshall’s transition is from a completely despicable character, to a likeable scoundrel.

For the first murder, Graham is approached by a homeless man. Graham has just been passed over for a promotion and he’s now answering to a younger man he hates. In the novel he acts out of pure rage, so even though he doesn’t intend to kill the man, he has no justification for his actions. In the movie the homeless man threatens him, so when he pushes him onto the subway tracks, at least he’s acting in self-defence.

The second victim is his wife. In both the novel and the movie it’s a matter of using his wife’s death to pay off the mortgage. What distinguishes the two, is in the novel they have two children, and he’s happy to send them to live with his sister-in-law and be rid of them. The fact he doesn’t love his own children makes the reader despise him. In the movie they have two dogs. He doesn’t keep the dogs, but it doesn’t produce the same emotional reaction.

The third victim is a younger executive that gets promoted instead of Graham. In both the novel and the movie he pretends to be interested romantically with a younger woman in office, then drugs her. His plan is that she’ll think he’s been in her apartment all night, providing him with an alibi. While she’s unconscious, he leaves the apartment and rigs the propane tank in a yacht belonging to his new boss. In both cases you’re disgusted by his behaviour, using someone who admires him in order to commit murder. Graham’s new boss isn’t described positively in the novel, but he’s portrayed as extremely arrogant and condescending on screen. It doesn’t justify Graham’s actions, but it’s easier to understand why Graham hates him enough to want to kill him.

At the end of the novel, you’re glad that Graham Marshall is going to finally face justice. At the end of the movie, when it’s clear he’s just killed an executive because he wants his corner office, you laugh. From a writer’s point of view, it’s interesting to note how subtle changes influence how the audience reacts to a character. And when it comes to portraying a likeable scoundrel, no one is better suited for the role than Michael Caine.

Copyright © 2021 by J. Paul Cooper

If you’re curious about whether I can actually apply the advice I offer in this blog, my new eBook Hunting Teddy Bears is now available to purchase. Just visit the “Published Writing” section and click on the link.