Book Report: Director's Cut by Roger L. Simon
I have been a regular reader of
Roger L. Simon's blog and occasional contributor to the always challenging discussions that follow his posts. I remember seeing the late 1970s movie "The Big Fix", which was written by Roger and featured Richard Dreyfuss, who had recently won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in "The Goodbye Girl". I loved the way the movie brought back memories of the 1960s, an era that I had barely missed being old enough to really enjoy, as I turned 15 the year it ended.
Anyway, I have a readers' group that meets monthly and this time it was my turn to pick a book or series of books (we're pretty serious readers, so if the books are fairly short, as Roger's are, we'll commonly read 2-3 of them each, trying to hit on one or two that everybody reads, but also overlapping a bit so that everybody has a little extra to bring to the conversation).
I decided to start my reading of the Moses Wine series with the most recent entry, Director's Cut. At first, I had a hard time keeping from smiling as I read, because Wine is clearly closely based on Roger himself. It was amusing to read of the one-time 1960s radical who now "found myself nodding approvingly at the utterances of our Attorney General [John Ashcroft]...." Exactly the way Roger might describe himself. Wine is also a Lakers' fan (as is Roger) and the book contains lots of internet references. Indeed, I expect in the next instalment of Wine's adventures to find him looking for assistance via his blog.
Plot synopsis: Moses Wine is hired to provide security for a film being shot in Prague that is apparently the target of terrorists intent on shutting it down. Through a series of circumstances, he also becomes responsible for directing the film. Can he figure out why the movie is under attack before a major disaster hits Hollywood?
The Good: The story is excellent, with lots of local color, and a sprinkling of the inside-Hollywood stuff that an experienced screenwriter can provide. The climax is exciting and vivid. There is a running gag throughout the book that kept cracking me up whenever it returned. The terrorist angle makes the book compelling.
The Bad: Miles remarks at one point that the insurance firm which hired him to protect its completion bond on the movie will go bankrupt if shooting isn't completed on time. That's not very good insurance, even if it is good motivation.
The Bottom Line: A very entertaining and fast-paced read. Although the politics are what drew me to Roger's writing in the first place, he doesn't hit you over the head with it. There is a saying that the first chapter sells this book and the last chapter sells the next; Roger has clearly sold his next book with the thrilling (and, dare I say it--relevant) ending.
