a real let down and the novel be such a brilliant stomach churn journey into madness but this make for tv movie style nonsense be turgid and painfully slow . stick to mike hammer . i find it hard to believe that no body have make a brilliant version of this book and kubrick gush over it on the cover and he should have take over the rein on this one . stacey keach be too soppy a lou ford and and the whole thing have the same production value a that seventies tv spin off and of planet of the ape . i thoroughly recommend that you go out and buy lot of jim thompson novel though and actually the grifter isn not do too badly and thats one of his and star jon cusak .