Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard


Soderbergh’s adaptation of this is what turned me into an Elmore Leonard fan when I was young. I’ve seen that movie at least a dozen times. Funny enough, I’ve read probably 20 Leonard books in the last 25 years but never this one.

It’s unbelievable how close Soderbergh stayed to the book. Almost every word of dialogue in the film is right from the book, even though it feels like it was written for George Clooney. I could practically hear the David Holmes soundtrack while reading it.

It’s so similar that I spent most of the read looking for differences, and there weren’t many (mostly details at the end – including, sadly, the end of White Boy Bob. I was looking forward to that moment).

Leonard was the master. This book is an all-timer.