I'm a huge Flynn fan (may he rest in peace) and was thrilled to hear they were going to make a movie based on his writings and hero, Mitch Rapp. Movie to be released September 15, 2017.
But like all movies based on books, the movie producers tend to take liberty with casting. One of the worst castings of course was 5'6" yappy Tom Cruise playing 6'6" man-of-very-few-words Jack Reacher, but I digress.
In the "Assassin", my immediate reaction is that Michael Keaton does not fit my mental image of Stan Hurley. Although, I love his acting ability and I imagine he can pull of the gruff and nasty demeanor of chain-smoking, ass-kicking Hurley.
However, they have really taken liberty in casting Irene Kennedy, head of the CIA. Sanaa Lathan is a stunning actress, but Irene Kennedy is an older, wiser, heavier divorced woman with blonde hair and a kid.
Here's the cast in pictures:
I always pictured Hurley looking like the drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket.
Sidekick? What?
Sidekick? What?
Well, technically Hurley is _____________ won't finish this sentence to not spoil anything for people who want to read the books, but if you're up to date you know how to finish that sentence.
Sidekick? What?
Yeah, I don't know what the "sidekick" is all about. The only one who ever worked along with Rapp was either Hurley or Mike Nash.
I hope Keaton can pull off Stan Hurley - a really tough role. My vision of Stan would be best characterized by David Morse who was the renegade Marine Major in "The Rock" - stick a cigarette in his mouth and a bad angry attitude about everything. Also, Stan wasn't on the verge of death in the book, "American Assassin", which was about 4 years before he started failing due to lung cancer.
Hate to be a book snob, but after reading all the Jack Reacher books I refused to see the movies. The persona of Jack Reacher is one of a menacing looking borderline animal. He is 6'5" 260+ pounds (or something like that) and goes long periods without any grooming or living in a home. He often wears the same clothes for weeks at a time. He's physically imposing and intimidating.
But has knightly qualities, he's almost a modern day superhero - but with no super powers, just has own combat skills and smarts, if you read the books.
I am not a Tom Cruise hater, but I couldn't picture the same impact of the 5' 6" (?) thinly built Cruise, and I think Cruise pulls off action movies well enough and the movies may have been entertaining, but it wasn't Jack Reacher.
Crap, the whole cast is nothing I picture as I read the books.
Hurley: Duvall, Sam Elliot, Ed Harris, Mel Gibson
Kennedy: Virginia Madson, Laura Linney
And yes - Irene Kennedy is supposed to be a divorced mother with some miles.
And this "Sidekick" bullshit is ridiculous. He didn't have a sidekick.
Hate when they do this shit.
Crap, the whole cast is nothing I picture as I read the books.
Hurley: Duvall, Sam Elliot, Ed Harris, Mel Gibson
Kennedy: Virginia Madson, Laura Linney
good call on Kennedy character. Either one of those ladies would fit the character. I might lean a little towards Linney:
but would also be fine with Madsen.
I was planning to check Amazon, but I would like to hear some opinions if not too much trouble.
Thanks.
Link - ( New Window )
I was planning to check Amazon, but I would like to hear some opinions if not too much trouble.
Thanks.
Flynn only has one series as far as I know, it's the Mitch Rapp series and now as mentioned in the OP he's dead. He did have the book Term Limits which I liked a lot, but it's not a Mitch Rapp series novel.
As B in Alb said, you really need to read them in order.
there are other authors in the genre, like David Baldacci, who have multiple series. He has the Will Robie series, John Puller series, Amos Decker and King and Maxwell, all easy reads and I've read all of them. Really good for plane rides. Not going to win any literary awards, but well done. Sort of like a James Patterson, with the cookie cutter mass produced novels, but they're interesting, and like I said easy reads.
Not as good as Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp though or Lee Child and Jack Reacher.
Reading them in order is kind of confusing because some of the later books go back to Rapp's life before the first few books. I too prefer to read books in chronological order, but it's not as though it's necessary. Each book is a completely different adventure. Now if you read Baldacci and pick up "The Camel Club" books, they need to be read in order; however, they are marked 1, 2, 3, etc.
Yes, it's a bit different and you can definitely notice it.
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Someone better than Dylan O Brian. Not sure his acting range but when I think of Rapp, someone like Joe Manganiello comes to mind. Rapp was/is a lacrosse All American and physical specimen, a pure badass. I don't picture him as being 5'9" and lean.
Crap, the whole cast is nothing I picture as I read the books.
Hurley: Duvall, Sam Elliot, Ed Harris, Mel Gibson
Kennedy: Virginia Madson, Laura Linney
good call on Kennedy character. Either one of those ladies would fit the character. I might lean a little towards Linney:
but would also be fine with Madsen.
Outstanding choices
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I bought 3 of his books at a book sale (don't remember titles). Aside from seeing which 3 I have and reading chronologically, can someone recommend an order of reading for him, in general ? There are several series, no ?
I was planning to check Amazon, but I would like to hear some opinions if not too much trouble.
Thanks.
Flynn only has one series as far as I know, it's the Mitch Rapp series and now as mentioned in the OP he's dead. He did have the book Term Limits which I liked a lot, but it's not a Mitch Rapp series novel.
As B in Alb said, you really need to read them in order.
there are other authors in the genre, like David Baldacci, who have multiple series. He has the Will Robie series, John Puller series, Amos Decker and King and Maxwell, all easy reads and I've read all of them. Really good for plane rides. Not going to win any literary awards, but well done. Sort of like a James Patterson, with the cookie cutter mass produced novels, but they're interesting, and like I said easy reads.
Not as good as Vince Flynn and Mitch Rapp though or Lee Child and Jack Reacher.
Term Limits is what turned me on to Flynn. Then Memorial Day for the Rapp crew was my favorite.
As an aside I always wondered why they didn't do movies before this. Maybe it's a start.
NFT: Vince Flynn Fans - movie, "Assassin" releases this Fall - ( New Window )
Nevermind, fk'd that up
May have been but I refuse to watch it. Love the books but the insanity and make silliness of making Reacher a 5'5 inch a killing machine is just stupid.
They show horned him in. Fine but it's not Jack Reacher.
Sad he does so young. The do
Wonder if he was one of
Those guys who just avoided regular physicals
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2nd one not so much
Hate to be a book snob, but after reading all the Jack Reacher books I refused to see the movies. The persona of Jack Reacher is one of a menacing looking borderline animal. He is 6'5" 260+ pounds (or something like that) and goes long periods without any grooming or living in a home. He often wears the same clothes for weeks at a time. He's physically imposing and intimidating.
But has knightly qualities, he's almost a modern day superhero - but with no super powers, just has own combat skills and smarts, if you read the books.
I am not a Tom Cruise hater, but I couldn't picture the same impact of the 5' 6" (?) thinly built Cruise, and I think Cruise pulls off action movies well enough and the movies may have been entertaining, but it wasn't Jack Reacher.
I'm going to have to try his books
Absolutely! If you haven't read Lee Child's books and the "Reacher" series, you are missing out on a very good read. I don't think Flynn with his "Mitch Rapp" books can be beat, but Child does a great job.
Other authors that are top notch (IMHO):
David Baldacci as has been noted. Has several series with different characters. My favorites are the "Camel Club" series, Will Robie series, Amos Decker series, John Puller series, etc.
Robert Crais has several series like the Joe Pike series and the Elvis Cole series (oftentimes the two work together), but my favorite is the one started a couple years ago with James Scott and Maggie. The book "Suspect" is the first one with Scott and Maggie and is one of the best reads of my life. His second one that includes Scott and Maggie is "The Promise", but centers on all three characters from the different series and not just on Scott and Maggie leaving me a little disappointed as I wanted more attention on Maggie.
Daniel Silva has great books in espionage and high end adventure and the books are written well. The "Gabriel Allon" series is the closest I've found to Flynn's "Rapp series", but with a different twist and international flavor. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't read him.
Preston and Child (Lincoln Child not to be confused with Lee Child) has some great reads - especially the "Gideon" series. Although, if you like delving into something a little more bizarre, yet very good, go with the Agent Aloysius Pendergast series. High adventure and mystery with a little paranormal activity going on.
There are a lot of others of course, but the authors above are the ones I get excited about when I hear their next book is coming out.
Now he's a mass produced cliche, but his early Alex Cross books were great.
And he had a one-off early novel called the Jester that was a crusades era "thriller" that was unique and excellent.
He had the book Zoo which the TV mini-series (which was awful) was based on. Book much different and better than the series.
Patterson also has multiple series (Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, and some sci-fi/fantasy/teen or kid fiction), but almost every book he "writes" now is co-authored by someone else.
Still though the early Alex Cross books were great. I hated that casting too (Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) I pictured Alex Cross more like Will Smith not Morgan Freeman.
Now he's a mass produced cliche, but his early Alex Cross books were great.
And he had a one-off early novel called the Jester that was a crusades era "thriller" that was unique and excellent.
He had the book Zoo which the TV mini-series (which was awful) was based on. Book much different and better than the series.
Patterson also has multiple series (Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, and some sci-fi/fantasy/teen or kid fiction), but almost every book he "writes" now is co-authored by someone else.
Still though the early Alex Cross books were great. I hated that casting too (Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) I pictured Alex Cross more like Will Smith not Morgan Freeman.
My first Patterson book was "Kiss the Girls" and the snake scene gave me nightmares for a few weeks. But I agree, his early works were top notch
I've not heard of this writer. How does it rate (IYO) compared to Flynn and Baldacci?
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Really really good.
I've not heard of this writer. How does it rate (IYO) compared to Flynn and Baldacci?
I'd never heard of him either but the books are really well written and entertaining. Lots of interesting facts and whatnot about fighting, weaponry, Europe, etc. I'd recommend.
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"I'm going to have to try his books"
Absolutely! If you haven't read Lee Child's books and the "Reacher" series, you are missing out on a very good read. I don't think Flynn with his "Mitch Rapp" books can be beat, but Child does a great job.
Other authors that are top notch (IMHO):
David Baldacci as has been noted. Has several series with different characters. My favorites are the "Camel Club" series, Will Robie series, Amos Decker series, John Puller series, etc.
Robert Crais has several series like the Joe Pike series and the Elvis Cole series (oftentimes the two work together), but my favorite is the one started a couple years ago with James Scott and Maggie. The book "Suspect" is the first one with Scott and Maggie and is one of the best reads of my life. His second one that includes Scott and Maggie is "The Promise", but centers on all three characters from the different series and not just on Scott and Maggie leaving me a little disappointed as I wanted more attention on Maggie.
Daniel Silva has great books in espionage and high end adventure and the books are written well. The "Gabriel Allon" series is the closest I've found to Flynn's "Rapp series", but with a different twist and international flavor. Highly recommend to anyone who hasn't read him.
Preston and Child (Lincoln Child not to be confused with Lee Child) has some great reads - especially the "Gideon" series. Although, if you like delving into something a little more bizarre, yet very good, go with the Agent Aloysius Pendergast series. High adventure and mystery with a little paranormal activity going on.
There are a lot of others of course, but the authors above are the ones I get excited about when I hear their next book is coming out.
Thanks all ! I thought there were multiple series by Flynn. Either way, I will review this list and start on the 1st.
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you should read them in order. Link - ( New Window )
Thanks all ! I thought there were multiple series by Flynn. Either way, I will review this list and start on the 1st.
The order in which to read them is not the order in which they were released. You will notice that the dates don't coincide with when they were written. The order in the link you note in your post above is the order you should read them if you wish to start at the beginning of Mitch Rapp's life....the first being "American Assassin" written 2010.
Also, the last two ("Survivor" and "Order to Kill") were not written by Vince Flynn as he passed away unexpectedly when he was starting "Survivor". The book was finished and the Mitch Rapp series continued by Kyle Mills (who was approved by Flynn's family)
Vince Flynn himself was a very interesting character in real life. He was a Marine for awhile, and suffered from Dyslexia which caused him to read and write daily to overcome his battle with the difficulties associated with the disorder. He was a bartender in St. Paul, Minnesota when he wrote his first book - "Term Limits", which isn't a Mitch Rapp book.
His revelation of tactics that are used within the CIA when he started the Rapp series threw up big red flags and the CIA would not allow him to release his books until they read them and approved them before they were released so as not to disclose any national secrets. Supposedly, the CIA also did the same to Clancy in the day.
Some more trivia: the TV show "24" with Kieffer Sutherland was actually a take on the Mitch Rapp series and Flynn was brought in during recording the show on occasion to advise in areas during the making of the shows. Of course, if you ever watched "24", you know that Jack Bauer was patterned after Mitch Rapp who was a black op, counter-terrorism agent of the CIA who was an unknown entity to the public.
Vince Flynn was 47 when he died of prostate cancer. A devastating loss to those of us who love to read hard hitting thrillers.
As an aside I always wondered why they didn't do movies before this. Maybe it's a start.
Actually, the movie "White House Down" as well as "Olymupus has Fallen" took much of their plot substance from Flynn's book, "Transfer of Power". In fact, Flynn was asked repeatedly before his death if he was going to sue the producers of the show because they used so many of his ideas in the movies. So much so, that anyone who read Transfer of Power recognized immediately that the movie was almost like re-reading the book. But Flynn refused and said that a lawsuit was extremely expensive and time consuming and he'd rather write than spend all his time in court battles for a couple of years. So he was never given credit for the movies and by not using the name Mitch Rapp when they created the movie they used the name of former Army Ranger Mike Banning as the main character of Olympus has Fallen and used the name John Cale (a Capital Police Officer played by Tatum Channing) that got them around giving credit to Flynn.
At least this coming movie will actually give credit to Flynn and the royalties from the movie should set up his wife and children for life (if they aren't already from his books) and they will actually use the name Mitch Rapp in the film.