Differences with the book

SPOILERS ahead -

Yes, I know people out there nitpick about how a book and a movie differ, and how "this" was so much better in the book, and they should have kept "that" part in when they made the movie, blah, blah, blah. I just wanted to discuss some of the things they left out, and the consquences and confusion this may have caused.

First off, Louie picks Annie to be 'his' juror because he thinks she will be easily manipulated. She seems demure and weak, and has a kid that they can threaten. And she is afraid. They don't portray her as some kickass fighter for all of what's good and right in the world. She hates what she's doing, and she keeps it all inside. She's afraid to fight back. She wouldn't hurt a fly. She doesn't have a "Dudley Do-right" mentality about the trial - she just wants a little excitement in her life. BUT when she is threatened, and her son is almost run over by a crazed Teacher, and he kills her best friend, Annie finds her strength. She takes care of the jury, convinces them all to go with her opinion. So, as yoou're watching, you're supposed to be watching her become a stronger person. So, when she finally pulls the trigger at the end, you're supposed to see this tranformation has fully taken effect. She NEVER would have done that in the beginning.

Also, the Teacher goes from this manipulating, cold, heartless man who would do anything for money (or even just for the thrill of it) to an obsessed, love sick man who denies everything about himself to get to his "love", Annie. In the book, he's a Tao Master who compares everything in his life to the way the Tao wants it to happen. He's very spiritual and unexcitable, even at the end. It's like he has these feelings but can compartmentalize them and never really allows himself to get angry. But his love for Annie turns him crazy. He loves her and she hates him and he just can't wrap his brain around it.

Another thing that they had left out was the closeness between Annie and Eddie, and the knowledge that Vincent knew what was going on during that last meeting with Louie. You're not supposed to know that Eddie tells Vincent that Louie is trying to kill him - not until the car blows up. That's when you realize just how close Eddie and Vincent really are. Eddie risked a lot to tell Vincent (in the book, Eddie and Louie are cousins, and Eddie and Vincent had been friends since they were like nine years old). Then Vincent kills him? Why? He can't suspect a closeness between Eddie and Annie, since the movie doesn't show anything that would make you think so. In the book, Eddie feels so guilty about what's happening to Annie (he falls in love with her, too, but not in such an obsessive way, PLUS his own daughter reminds him that Annie is someone's mother) that when Vincent tells him to fly down to Guatamala to corner Annie, he changes his mind and decides to help her instead. Vincent does kill him, but only after he sees Eddie helping Annie. A couple of lines here and there, and bringing Eddie with Annie to Guatamala would have done so much more to show how much Vincent had devolved.

Any other ideas to add?

I've got two good posts in me and I just wrote my third...