They were really true to the characters but compressed and extracted a much leaner (though still quite complex) plot. I think it's actually superior to the book, in most respects.
The only quibble I might have is that the ending shootout is a little too Hollywood. But Bud White surviving was always part of it, so THAT part I don't have a problem with.
However, I know Ellroy was setting up Exley for a continued career in other books, so I'm not sure how that may play into to everything vs. what they did in the movie.
I do agree with you in that I liked most of changes between book and film. It's just Ellroy was setting up a bigger canvas. The movie DEFINITELY made better use of Spacey's character, even though he died earlier in the course of things.
The worst audio-abridgement I ever heard of was when somebody told me they cut LaTonya Wallace(Adena Watson) from the Year On the Killing Streets audiobook.
Is it weird that I have a crush on Straithairn since I watched him play Murrow?
Well, I guess I have a crush on Keith Olbermann and I've watched him play Murrow for years.
Reading the wikipedia entry really made me appreciate what a fantastic job Hanson and Helgeland did on the script.
Seriously. DId that script win the Oscar that year? Because it totally should have.
ETA: It did!
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
Brian Helgeland
Curtis Hanson
The script and Kim Basinger were, I think, the only things that did win Oscars. It was Titanic's year.
I'm still bitter.
Just back from Hot Tub Time Machine. It was intensely stupid, but also hilarious, as one would expect from the title. Did we know Christophe Beck was scoring this?
Has anyone here seen The Class? It was one of our movies this week. I absolutely loved it.
Also saw The Appeared and The Soloist. Both were ok, however one got better, the other...did not. I will leave you to ponder which is which.
It is French and it is divine.
Oh okay, I've seen that (and liked it very much). The teacher is basically playing himself--he's a former teacher and the movie is based on his novel.
