How to rip off an author

[Jaqhama]

How to rip off an author...

The new Jason Strahan/Robert DeNero action movie titled The Killer Elite and based on the novel The Feathermen by Ralph Fiennes; the name of the movie has been stolen from Robert Rostand's excellent thriller that Sam Peckingpah made into a rather terrible movie.

I question why the producers have to name their movie with the title of an author's novel that has nothing to do with this new movie?
It would be nice to think that Robert Rostand can sue for their use of his book title, but probably not.

It's annoying as the Mike Locken novels, of which the Killer Elite is the first, are well worth reading for anyone who enjoys action packed thrillers.
I certainly don't believe the movie producers needed to rip off their film title from Robert Rostand's book.
It's morally wrong and disrepectful if nothing else.
Bloody lazy also.
Not to mention they're ripping off Sam Peckinpah's film in exactly the same way, at least Sam's movie was based on the original novel and the author was paid for his work.

Your thoughts?

[John M. Whalen]

It's misleading, to say the least. Judging from the title, I would have assumed this was a remake of the original Killer Elite. I might go further and say it's a blatant ripoff and shows complete disrespect not only for Rostand by also for Peckinpah. But this is the kind of treatment writers have always gotten from Hollywood or wherever films are being made these days.

I don't have as low an opinion of the original film as you do, though. I thought Peckinpah's Killer Elite was a pretty cool film---and another example of Peckinpah's continual battle with the studios. The film is filled with inside jokes about MGM. In one scene Gig Young remarks MGM doesn't make movies anymore, they're in the hotel business. The script was written by Stirling Silliphant, to whom (shameless plug insert) my book, Jack Brand is dedicated. Silliphant was a student of Bruce Lee and he changed the character that Locken is protecting from an African dictator to an Asian freedom fighter. Part of this decision was because Siliphant wanted a part for his young Asian wife, Tiana. Peckinpah continually rewrote on the set so her part became minimal, cutting a big scene Silliphant wrote where she could display her martial arts chops. Later Tiana was quoted: "Making movies is about being nice to people you ordinarily wouldn't spit on." Also there was heave cocaine use on the set, which helped to create more chaos during filming.

Still, I think the airport scene and the climax at the SanFrancisco location where the battle ships were in storage were pure Peckinpah masterpieces.
Glad you brought up this subject, Jaq. This looks like director's first film. He'll learn better.

[Jaqhama]

Hey John

I will say that one of my fave action novels is Striling Silliphant's Steel Tiger.

I have never seen a copy of the Bronze Bell.

Intersting that Silliphant used the name Locke as his character...as Locken was the name of the hero in The Killer Elite.

Quote from Amazon reviewer.

In Steel Tiger the author created John Locke, "the ultimate adventurer." This is the first of three Locke novels, and it's a wonderful read. If you like adventure novels with a strong, capable hero, you'll enjoy this one. Locke isn't unwounded by his past, of course, but that doesn't keep him from solving mysteries, doing in the bad guys, and saving the day. It's an old-fashioned kind of story, but the characterizations and plotting are so good that they make the book a real keeper. You'll probably read it more than once.

[John M. Whalen]

Silliphant was a master at creating characters with a past, or even better, haunted characters. Bronze Bell was pretty good but Silver Star was the third and the best, where Locke goes back to Vietnam the location of his soul-searing experiences. The only thing I didn't like about the books was that they were written in the present tense, which is something I just couldn't get used to. Still, good reading. Silliphant's best writing, oddly, was for TV. His "route 66" series is legendary and is often named as the best written television series ever. Ever hear of it over there in Oz? If you want to read more about him, here's a link to an article I did about Silliphant for the Washington Post back in 2000.

http://ohio66.com/newspaper/washingt...ht_million.asp

[Jaqhama]

I love well written present tense, and enjoy writing in it also.
That was one of the reasons I enjoyed Steel Tiger so much.
Why I like David Gunn's Death's Head series too.
The first author I read who used it was UK crime noir writer Ted Lewis in his Jack Carter novels.
That was one movie that was made to perfection; Michael Caine in Get Carter.

[H.P. Lovesauce]

Well, Nourse didn't get anything from Blade Runner, I don't think. Stuff happens.

[JoshBrown]

There are lots of movies (and books) that share the same title and have nothing to do with each other.

[alrobe]

My day job is working in a library and this comes up all the time. For example when someone comes in and asks for the book “Fire and Ice” I have to ask if they want the one by: Julie Garwood, JA Jance, Dana Stabenow, Paul Garrison, Erin Hunt, Anne Stuart, Diana Palmer, Laura Hamilton, or Tori Carrington, and those are just the ones our library has access to. I don’t think people try to steal titles, I think that some titles just get reused over and over because people don’t research what is already out there.

Just did a quick amazon search and there are at least four movies with the title "Fire and Ice"

[SJHigbee]

And there isn't any copyright over titles, is there??

[JoshBrown]

you can't really copyright (or trademark) a title (or a common phrase)

[John M. Whalen]

Jaq,

Here's the first teaser trailer for "Killer Elite." Looks like another standard Jason Statham "let's kick ass" vehicle and more proof that Robert DeNiro is washed up. Interesting they left "The" out of the title, so I guess we're not supposed to confuse this with the Peckinpah film. And the names of the main characters are different. Statham plays "Danny", DeNiro plays "Hunter" and Owen plays (I kid you not) "Spike." Can't beleive this won't go direct to DVD, but looks like they'll be a theatrical release in the Fall.
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi261856281/

[che2000]

Robert De Niro in a Jason Statham movie... we are living in the end of days

[H.P. Lovesauce]

Mebbe he's playing the older mentor type?

Hey, he played something like that role really well in Ronin!

[Jaqhama]

Just watched Jason Statham in The Mechanic...a pale and tactically stupid imitation of the original classic.

Why do they bother?
Why?Why?Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy???????????

On the subject of remakes...I have no intention of EVER watching the remake of True Grit. Ever. Never. At all.

Carry on.

[John M. Whalen]

I did watch the True Grit remake. All I can say is The Dude is the Dude and The Duke is the Duke and never the twain should have met.

[che2000]

I dunno. I thought that the Coen's take on Trur Grit was rather brilliant, closer to Charles Portis' novel than the John Wayne/ Henry Hathaway version (which is also brilliant). True, Jeff Bridges is not John Wayne but I though he put his own stamp on the character of Rooster Cogburn. Pity that Matt Damon's LeBeouf was so sidelined though, particularly towards the climax of the movie, both he and the character deserved better.

Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks I suppose.

I did avoid The Mechanic remake like the proverbial plague, though. Whatever qualities he may possess, Jason S ain't no Charlie B.

[John M. Whalen]

Well, I didn't say it was terrible. In fact I'd give it three stars, but the original is definitely four stars. What I didn't like was Bridges' performance. The girl was great. And as for sticking to the book, the Coens put in a scene where Rooster is in an outhouse and the girl is trying to get him out but he won't come out and tells her go away. "I'll be in here some time." That wasn't in the book. But it seemed like a chance for them to slip a little of Lebowksi in there. In fact, Rooster seemed stoned through most of the movies as opposed to roaring drunk, as the Duke played it. He was more mellow. But the bottom line for me is, why try to redo something that's already been done as well as it could be. I just don't see the point. Filmmakers seem to have damn few original ideas anymore. Which brings me to mention that TCM had a documentary on Merrian C. Cooper, called I am King Kong. The whole point of it was that guys like him were real adventurers. They lived some of the things that they would later put into films. Today movie makers are mostly film school graduates who don't have much real life adventure experience. I would put the Coens definitely in that category.

[che2000]

The age of giants is over, sad to say - actors like John Wayne, Lee Marvin or the great Toshiro Mifune no longer exist, similarly directors like John Ford or Sam Peckinpah or writers like Hemmingway, Philip K Dick or JG Ballard and perhaps the rest of us are merely bobbing in their wake. Although I think there are still great movies to be made, great books to be written, great performances to be given, after all, the twentieth century greats (particularly in literature, but also in film) built upon the vision of their predecessors. As Newton said: "If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

And three stars for True Grit ain't bad, it ain't bad at all.

[Jaqhama]

Been some contention on a few book and movie sites about the claim by the movie producers that the new Jason Statham and Robert DeNiro movie:
The Killer Elite, is based on real events.

The novel the movie was made from, The Feathermen, also made the same claim back when it was first published.

I always knew it was a purely fictional novel...but thankfully now plenty of other people have also realised the truth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feather_Men

So don't be taken in by the Hollywood hype.

And it's a sad day when Robert DeNiro stars in a Jason Statham film.

[Dave]

Has anyone seen the movie?