I believe these two things are true:
1. Jason Patric used this performance as an audition tape for Forrest Gump.
2. 90% of Ryan Reynolds acting is just him mimicking Jason Patric in this movie.
Despite these two things I also think Patric is great in this movie.
Anyway, I LOVE Jim Thompson’s writing, and his novels are perfect blueprints for great movies. Some filmmakers still manage to fuck it up, but I’d definitely recommend this one.