Film Critics Should Review the Movie, Not the Book

It's been several hundred years since an art critic has determined the merits of a painting of a horse by comparing it to a live horse. Michael Wilmington's film review of "The Kill Off" (Dec. 14), focused on comparing the film, which I wrote and directed, with the book by Jim Thompson. In fact, he reviewed more of the book as a book than the book as a movie and almost nothing of the movie as a movie.

Though I understand how it might be difficult for a reviewer to separate his feelings about a novel, whether a bestseller or an obscure work such as "The Kill Off," I think it is essential to do so.

A film based on a novel, or any pre-existing material, makes its own statement and is its own form of entertainment. It diminishes the importance of cinema as a medium and provides little relevant information for the moviegoing public if movies based on books are reviewed based on the film reviewer's judgment, feeling or reaction to the interpretation of the book.

What does this tell the reader about the film as a film? What guidance does this offer to someone reading the review to determine which film to see? Are we reading film reviews to help decide whether we will see a film or read a book?

As a visual medium, film demands a personal interpretation of the written word. Therefore, to compare the visual work to its source material seems unfair to the filmmakers and those reading the review.

And then there's Jim Thompson. I love his work. I think he is a great writer. I am proud that I was the first person in 12 years to option one of his books. I am delighted he is now discovered, acknowledged and popular. But that is not why I chose to make a film based on one of his books.

I was particularly inspired by the spirit of Thompson's material, but in adapting "The Kill Off" I made many changes in the story and characterizations that make the work no longer Thompson's alone. Whatever inspires a filmmaker to adapt a book to the screen is personal, subjective and begins a process of transforming that original work into something totally new.

Although Thompson's books bear great similarities to one another (the author's voice strong and consistent), all the films based on his books are completely different--from the books and one another. They bear most significantly the mark of each filmmaker.