Elmore Leonard's cocky, energetic ATF Agent Ray Nicolet is a key protagonist in his book 'Rum Punch'. For Quentin Tarantino's film adaptation of 'Rum Punch', 'Jackie Brown', the character, now named "Ray Nicolette" was embodied by the brilliant Michael Keaton with a perfectly cocky, energetic physicality.
While cinematic universes are commonplace nowadays, in 1997 it was a surprise to see the character appear, uncredited, in Steven Soderbergh's adaptation of Leonard's novel of the same name, and even more rewarding to get a couple of additional character dynamics revealed by Keaton's similarly smart and self-aware performance.
In this episode, much as I did in Episode 157 with Paul Newman's scenes from 'The Verdict' and in Episode 152 with Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli scenes from 'Fast Times'...I go through all of Keaton's scenes from 'Jackie Brown' and 'Out of Sight' and offer up full appreciation.
Also: a quick look back at Keaton's first real starring performance in 'Night Shift' with Henry Winkler and Shelly Long.
283. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 2: The Real Story
In the second of my two-parter on Dog Day Afternoon, we get out of the fictional
282. 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) Part 1: The Film
Sidney Lumet's 1975 masterpiece of naturalistic filmmaking is many things: a ban
281. [Indistinct Chatter] 5/8
[the week's collected thoughts] Climbing Docs I recommend: The Dark Wizard (HBO)
280. Sacred Cows: The Star Wars Films
In the second of my infrequently recurring series, Sacred Cows, I'm taking a loo
Comments & Upvotes