Book Review: The Principle by J.David Osborne

The Principle by J.David Osborne

Broken River Books

2015

"Two hunters come across a bag of money in the woods, a dead drop for two local low-life meth cooks. One of the cooks is content to watch pro-wrestling and wait for the next payday. But the other just can't quite let it go. It's the principle of the matter"

I wish more unproduced screenplays were published in this format. Last year I read Travis Beachum script for the Killing on Carnival Row and really wished someone had the courage to make that movie. It would also be nice to have had it in this nice format to read. I also found myself really wishing someone would find this script by J. David Osbourne. This would make a cool film and could be done without much of budget. The bells and whistles are not special effects but witty dialogue that makes it a true noir.

Osbourne is an author and publisher know for writing super weird crime novels and publishing books in that vein with his imprint Broken River books. His first novel "By the Time We Leave Here, We'll be Friends was like a crazy Russian prison movie directed by David Lynch. The only other one I read was a genius noir novel called Low Down Death Easy Right.

That novel like this screenplay had a total tornado alley noir that captured Oklahoma scuzy-ness the way Fargo paints the great white north.After a father and son hunting discover a bag full of money and take it takes gets off a series of crimes. The money was meant for Beau his monthly payment for cooking meth. Beau comes around town trying to find his money.

Was not sure what to think because I remember Osborne's work for it's unsettling prose more so than dialogue, but I laughed and cringed reading this. What more do you want? Cool read.