<One thing about *Heat* that struck me (and I'm surprised
no one else noticed this) is how similar DeNiro's character
is to Richard Stark's Parker. Same ultra-professional
attitude. Same phillosophy. Same loyalty to colleagues. Same
ruthlessness. Same sort of relationships with women. Kilmer's
character, handsomer, younger, looser in the application of
professional standards struck me as very similar to Grofield.
Even the set-up of DeNiro's world, parallel to but outside of
regular society, with a network of communication lines, etc.
(Voight's character struck me as similar to Handy McKay), and
the grandiose nature of the scores seemed right out of
Richard Stark.>
I'm only two books in to Stark's Parkers, but I found your
comments illuminating. I remember walking out of Heat and
feeling that the movie was just as much about loneliness in
LA (q.v. Altman's Long Goodbye) as it was about cops and
robbers. The Amy Brennerman character is horrified when she
discovers what DeNiro really does but even more frightened of
being alone again to leave him. I just finished The Man with
the Getaway Face and found it flawed but riveting. After the
score Parker is left alone with his money, but he remains
unfulfilled. He goes out trawling for hookers but, I felt he
was really seeking companionship rather than sex. He actually
seems to miss his double-crossing backstabbing junkie wife.
On the job he cannot trust anyone, an old partner is knifed
and Parker guns down the moll without pause. After the split
he is alone again, but without someone to share or
understand, it all seems kind of pointless. That's why I like
Parker so far. He's a noir nihilist, he understands the
pointlessness of it all.
Daniel Sevitt
danielse@amdocs.com 00 972 9 776 3745
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