Mark wrote:
> On the other hand, a lot was made of the fact that
Platoon was
> directed
> by an actual Viet Nam vet. Did that make it more
realistic than other
> films on that war (sorry, police action)? Not being
a vet myself, I
> have no direct knowledge, but I found the movie far
too literary and
> steeped in heavyhanded symbolism to take seriously
as realism. Young
> impressionable soldier is torn between following the
good leader and
> the
> bad. And scar aside, in Stone's world, you knew
which one was good
> because he smoked dope. Please.
It's like books written by cops. Having spoken with a lot of
them over the years (relatives, friends, friends of friends),
it's clear that their thoughts on the law, criminal justice,
law enforcement and everything else are often as varied and
even bone-headed as anyone else's (including my own). There
are good cops, bad cops, mediocre cops, smart cops, dumb
cops. Most are just normal men and women. The only real
consensus among any of them is that they all work too much
for too little money and don't get any respect.
Hardly an attitude exclusive to police officers. The kid at
Mcdonald's probably has the same attitude. Or a doctor. Or a
professor. Or a parking lot attendant.
So the "realism" of any cop book has more to do with the
reader's already established view of what it's really like to
be a cop than anything else. If it reinforces what you
already believe, it's
"realistic." If it doesn't, it's far-fetched.
And that would probably include readers who are cops as well.
Once upon a time, I came across a survey in TV GUIDE or
somewhere which asked cops which TV show they viewed as most
representative of a policeman's lot. Evidently the
occasionally whimsical low-key comedy of BARNEY MILLER was
considered one of the most "realistic," easily out-pacing
such gritty and more traditionally "realistic" fare as HILL
STREET BLUES, POLICE STORY, DRAGNET and NYPD BLUE.
One cop friend of mine considers Wambaugh's novels pure
fantasy; lots of non-cops consider them the real deal. So,
does that make Wambaugh not a "real" cop. Or is it my friend
who's reality-challenged?
And so it goes... John Grisham's a lawyer; so is Scott Turow,
so was Erle Stanley Gardener. Is anyone going to claim they
all wrote
"realistically"? Or even the same sort of books?
"Reality," like Hell, is other people.
And speaking of Hell, in the Carmen Sternwood category, I'd
like to nominate Brittany, not Paris. Paris needs a spanking;
Brittany actually needs professional help.
Kevin Burton Smith www.thrillingdetective.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 07 Mar 2008 EST