The ’80s brought Miami’s drug-infested underworld scene to light through sensationalized Hollywood projects. Brian De Palma’s Scarface took an operatic approach to the rise and fall of a self-centered drug lord. On the small screen, NBC’s Miami Vice went deeper into the city’s cocaine frontier through the eyes of its badge-wearing protagonists. Then Burt Reynolds tried unsuccessfully to capitalize on the trend with his 1985 crime thriller Stick.
Reynolds stepped into the director’s chair for the fourth time in his career, aiming to recapture the gritty, character-driven tone of his 1981 noir Sharky’s Machine. Based on Elmore Leonard‘s 1983 novel, Stick was a blend of ’80s action mixed with a wide array of colorful characters between a wig-wearing drug dealer, an overly wild film producer, and an assassin with albinism dressed like a cowboy. While Leonard’s novel depicts a seedy world that its ex-con hero Ernest “Stick” Stickley tries to navigate, Reynolds’ film adaptation fails to translate the iconic novelist’s words to the screen.
Arriving in the Florida Everglades following a seven-year stint in prison, Stick reconnects with his pal Rainy (Jose Perez) and gets talked into making a stop on the way home. It turns out to be a drug deal gone south as Rainy gets gunned down by the hitman Moke (Dar Robinson) on orders from his flamboyant boss Chucky (Charles Durning). On the run from Chucky’s men, Stick takes up a personal driver position for hot shot movie producer Barry Braun (George Segal) and gets attracted to his financial consultant Kyle (Candice Bergen).
As Stick looks to go straight while developing a romance with Kyle, he confronts Chucky about the drug money owed to Rainy. Fed up with Chucky’s sloppy handling of matters, the scorpion-obsessed cartel leader Nestor (Cástulo Guerra) hires Moke to take him out along with Stick. Adding more danger to the situation is when the cartel sets its sights on Stick’s estranged daughter Katie (Tricia Leigh Fisher).
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Reynolds tried to bring his signature ‘70s charm and his masculinity into a very dark and complex character of Leonard’s creation. Instead, he produced an action picture with an uneven direction that takes away from the slick, gritty tone of Leonard’s novel. The initial scenes of Stick’s arrival and the brutal death of Rainy are very much in line with the urban thriller elements of Sharky’s Machine. Once Stick enters Barry’s colorful world, the film takes a sharp, lighthearted shift in tone with excessive humor and soap opera performances.
Stick suffered from reshoots ordered by Universal Studios to turn what was otherwise a character-driven crime drama into standard ‘80s action fare, with less-than-thrilling car chases and a Scarface-level shootout finale. The film’s emotional component, Kyle’s hesitation to fall for Stick, works fine in the context of a noir tale. But the emphasis on roping Stick’s daughter into danger is more forced into the story than necessary for character development.
In the process of reshooting Stick, Reynolds had lost his spark physically and creatively as a result of the stunt accident he suffered on the set of City Heat. He appears gaunt and tired in many of the scenes reshot for the film, most notably in the finale. Aside from reshoots, however, Reynolds was simply not the right man to direct the film. Known more for colorful action comedies like Smokey and the Bandit and The Cannonball Run, he further softened Leonard’s pulpy crime story not only by leaning heavily on the emotional elements, but also the over-the-top cartoonish performances of Durning and Segal.
If Stick has at least one major highlight, it is Dar Robinson’s role as Moke. The legendary stuntman who worked on Sharky’s Machine and Lethal Weapon made the most of his tall, intimidating presence against Reynolds. It was in this film that Robinson executed his most dangerous stunt ever on camera by unloading his gun while freefalling from a Miami hotel balcony without a grounded airbag. It would sadly be Robinson’s only featured acting role as the famed stuntman died in a tragic on-set accident a year after the film’s release.
As a story, Stick was ahead of its time. It had the makings of a great crime drama if it was in the right filmmaker’s hands. Later film adaptations of Leonard’s novels such as Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, and Out of Sight fared better with experienced directors who made no creative compromises. Such filmmakers as Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh gave his characters a real-world texture and the productions had a subdued dark comedy tone where the violence is more shocking than entertaining. Leonard openly criticized Stick because Reynolds took no chances as an actor/director to stay true to the book. Instead, the legendary movie star decided to stick to playing it safe.
Stick is rent of buy on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
April 26, 1985
109 minutes
Elmore Leonard
Jennings Lang
Elmore Leonard Simply Despised This Burt Reynolds Adaptation of His Novel
Elmore Leonard, the acclaimed author known for his gritty crime novels, was not one to mince words when it came to adaptations of his work. And one film that truly irked him was the 1996 movie “Stick,” based on his novel of the same name and starring Burt Reynolds in the titular role.
Leonard, known for his sharp dialogue and complex characters, was reportedly less than pleased with the way the film turned out. He felt that the character of Stick, a former convict trying to go straight but inevitably drawn back into a life of crime, was not portrayed accurately on screen.
In an interview, Leonard expressed his disappointment with the film, saying that Reynolds’ portrayal of Stick was not what he had envisioned when writing the character. He felt that the film lacked the depth and complexity of his novel, and that the changes made to the story did a disservice to his work.
Despite Leonard’s displeasure, “Stick” remains a cult classic among fans of Burt Reynolds and action movies in general. However, for those who appreciate Leonard’s nuanced storytelling and sharp wit, the film falls short of capturing the essence of his work.
In the end, Elmore Leonard’s disdain for the adaptation of “Stick” serves as a reminder of the challenges and pitfalls of bringing a beloved novel to the big screen. It is a cautionary tale for filmmakers and fans alike, highlighting the importance of staying true to the source material and respecting the author’s vision.
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