Been a big Elmore Leonard fan for a while, and had read the book this was based on when it was first released. At the time, I really felt that this would make a great movie, but when the movie came out, I was initially disappointed in the casting, and on the first viewing in '98 I was underimpressed. Not really fair to the movie, as I have a tendency to get disappointed in most adaptations that I grow attached to beforehand. I felt Jenifer Lopez was a bad choice for the female lead, and overall, the great story got back seat to the romance angle.
Recently got a chance to revisit this one and it has gotten better with distance. A lot of casting in the minor roles is brilliant, from Don Cheadle to Catherine Keener to Luiz Guzman to Ving Rhames, to Michael Keaton (actually playing the same character he played in another Leonard adaptation, Jackie Brown), and an absolutely hilarious Steve Zahn. The direction and screenplay are crisp and snappy and moves along at a nice pace, employing some nice back and forth timelines seamlessly.
Sometimes its a bad idea to get too attached to a book and expect too much from the film version. Happens with me too often. I had a similar experience with
LA Confidential and more recently
The Black Dahlia (both books I thought would make absolutely fabulous films) . . .
All the Pretty Horses and
The Beach also come to mind.