On the Fence

What is a film adaptation that you believe is actually better than the original novel—and why?

By Dietrich

It’s a tough call to crown one over the other. Books and films are different beasts with their own strengths. A novel can burrow deep into a character’s psyche or wander through philosophical tangents that would drag a movie to a halt. Books allow more interiority, nuance and unfiltered authorial voice. A film can offer a punch in ways pages can’t match. The best adaptations don’t just translate, they transmute. Sometimes the result is a step up in impact. Sometimes it’s a compelling companion piece, but, many times the movie version just falls short.

A great example of a novel and its adaptation that bring the best of both worlds is Cormac McCarthy’s No Country For Old Men. In the book, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell’s internal monologue gives the story a philosophical weight—meditations on aging, morality, the erosion of a way of life, and a world growing meaner. We’re given Llewelyn Moss’s background and motivations, and the novel’s unrelenting bleakness and historical gravity hit hard.

The Coen Brothers took a story (originally conceived as a screenplay) and turned it into pure cinema. Tommy Lee Jones does a first-rate job conveying Bell’s weariness and Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh becomes an icon of unsparing fate—those dead eyes and the coin toss scenes create terrific tension. 

While the book is richer in introspective depth, the film strips away some interiority yet gains in atmosphere and pacing. I liked them equally and think they complement each other. Read the book for McCarthy’s voice. Watch the film for how the Coens visualized the terror in the silences. Why choose when you can have both?

A newer example is Shane Black’s Play Dirty, based on Donald E. Westlake’s Parker novels written as Richard Stark. The film offers a fun, modern riff on the original Parker stories. The Parker novels are lean, efficient crime fiction from the ’60s and ’70s. They excel at brutal competence and moral grayness, though are light on character warmth.

Shane Black paired Mark Wahlberg (as Parker) with LaKeith Stanfield (as Grofield), injecting rapid-fire dialogue, capturing the spirit of Stark’s novels while adding wise-ass humor. The heist mechanics are updated, trading vintage safe-cracking for edge-of-your-seat choreography without losing the gritty realism.

Here again, the books are great examples of pulp purity. The film offers more of a cinematic experience for contemporary audiences. It’s not better, but it gives the material impact and entertainment value in ways that feel true to the spirit of the Parker novels. Again, why not enjoy both? Dive into the paperbacks for their stark efficiency, then catch the movie for the Shane Black swagger and the updated heist thrill. No need to pick one over the other. Both have plenty to offer.

Classics such as The Godfather, where Coppola elevated Puzo’s pulp, show that when the right filmmaker meets the right material, cinema can deliver something special.

And since we’re into the summer months, here are a few titles I’ve recently enjoyed that I’d like to recommend for your beach reading. None have been made into feature films, but each remains a standout read and all offer cinematic potential.

Bomber by Len Deighton

This classic masterpiece chronicles a single, tragic WWII bombing raid from both the British and German perspectives. It’s a gripping, page-turner that’s perfect for history buffs. Outside a 1995 BBC dramatization, there’s been no film adaptation.

Gunman's Rhapsody by Robert B. Parker

Unlike many other Wyatt Earp retellings like Tombstone, this one hasn’t been adapted to film. Written in his signature style with sharp dialogue, Parker breathes fresh life into the legendary gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It’s a lean western with pace.

Plum Island by Nelson DeMille

The first of the series, it introduces us to John Corey, a wounded NYPD homicide detective recovering on Long Island. He gets involved in a double murder case involving a biological research island. It’s packed with DeMille’s trademark cynical humor, sarcasm and punch. While there were announcements around for a potential TV series, it didn't go forward.

The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

DeMille delivers a sleek thriller in this standalone story about a US Army veteran-turned-charter boat captain who is lured into a dangerous, multi-million-dollar covert mission to Cuba. It also offers a lot of potential for a film.

The Brothers McKay by Craig Johnson

This highly anticipated 22nd installment in the Walt Longmire series takes the Wyoming sheriff on a journey that blends cowboy grit with deep-rooted family secrets. Johnson’s lyrical prose and rich character work shine as bright as ever. No film yet, but the Longmire series was a popular TV adaptation, which drew from earlier books.