Author delves into movies
By By Dane Roberts Wans On Bookr Eview
Are we ever given a second chance? If so, do we ever use it? If we do, what guarantee do we have that it will be successful?
Davis Bunn uses his global film industry background to provide the background to this suspense thriller about two film companies battling it out to be numero uno. Who is going to be first? Being first means you can dominate the box office. To what extent will you go to be the winner? Do you have to sell your soul to get there?
The story opens up with our main character, an alcoholic with a prison record. He once used to be a big movie idol but now no one will touch him. He is given another chance to star in an indie production. He is handed the directorship as well as the choice of leading ladies. He chooses to star next to the woman he hurt most. But the Hollywood he left behind will not let him succeed.
The characters are well drawn and the opposition is strong. You have the contrast of two philosophies of film making. One wants to cut corners and the other wants to be true to the story of the subject. It will be the film of Daniel Boone and his expansion across the untamed territory. One story, the Hollywood one, will be told as an exportation of the Indians. The other is according to what really happened. The story pulls you along in this plot driven book.
You have four main characters who carry the story. You have Brent Stark who is a former leading man, now an alcoholic and ex-felon. He may never be a leading man again. “Soon after his release, Brent made the rounds of Austin’s regional theaters. The early roles had been unpaid walk-ons, with theaters that wanted him for the scandal value of showcasing a genuine Hollywood has-been.”
There is Bobby Dupree who sees something in Brent and is willing to give him that second chance. “He had all the energy of a Hollywood agent and none of the edge.”
Celia Breach used to be Brent’s leading lady until he hurt her. Brent needs her to fulfill his second chance. “”No’, she shouted aloud, the single word echoing in the empty house. I will not let you do this to me. Never again …”
As opposition you have Shari Khan who is determined to succeed in Hollywood at any cost. “Shari Khan survived the Hollywood jungle because of what she called her hyper senses.” She will stop at nothing to stop Brent including burning down the movie set and the costumes.
It is told in the third person from multiple viewpoints. This works because the writer wants to present both film companies and the politics and deals going on. The time is the present.
Bunn is a prolific writer with genres stretching from suspenseful action thrillers to relationship stories in both contemporary and historical settings.
Dane Robert Swanson is happy to introduce you to good reading. Be aware that the Los Angeles Book Fair is coming up at UCLA April 26 and 27. Maybe he will see you there.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 28, 2008. Read the original PDF.