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Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard

Writer and producer, also actor · Died August 20, 2013, aged 87 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925 – August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story writer, and screenwriter. His earliest novels, published in the 1950s, were Westerns, but he went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 11, 1925
Died
August 20, 2013 (aged 87)
From
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Works as
Writer and producer, also actor
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 44 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 35% in 30 days

What are Elmore Leonard's films like?

Across their 30 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Action6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 44th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 63rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
37%
Bonds
20%
Self
14%
Power
14%
Survival
6%
Ideas
5%
Society
4%
Justice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom4 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty6 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 30 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 9 · Dark 8

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 18 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 18 · Intense 6

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 12 · Shifting 17 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 17 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 23 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 13 · Engaged 16 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 24 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
24
Absurd
10
Warm
5
Melancholic
8
Thrilling
6
Other
20

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 5 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet14
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous6
  • Cyclical1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Elmore Leonard's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Elmore Leonard's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

44 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Justified: City Primeval(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Book

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows

  • Get Shorty(2017)

    Show 27 episodes · Novel

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Life of Crime(2013)

    Executive Producer · Novel

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • The Arrangement(2013)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Freaky Deaky(2012)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Justified(2010)

    Show 52 episodes · Executive Producer · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Killshot(2008)

    Executive Producer · Novel

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Tonto Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Story

  • 3:10 to Yuma(2007)

    Short Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Be Cool(2005)

    Executive Producer · Novel

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Big Bounce(2004)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Karen Sisco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Show 10 episodes · Characters · Novel

  • Out of Sight(1998)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Jackie Brown(1997)

    Executive Producer · Novel

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Gold Coast(1997)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Pronto (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Novel

  • Touch(1997)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Last Stand at Saber River(1997)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Get Shorty(1995)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Split Images (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Novel

  • Border Shootout (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Novel

  • Desperado: Badlands Justice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Characters

  • Desperado: The Outlaw Wars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Creator

  • Cat Chaser(1989)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Glitz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Novel

  • Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Creator

  • Desperado: Avalanche at Devil's Ridge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Writer

  • The Return of Desperado(1988)

    Creator · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Rosary Murders(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Desperado (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Writer

  • 52 Pick-Up(1986)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Stick(1985)

    Novel · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Ambassador(1984)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane(1980)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Mr. Majestyk(1974)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Joe Kidd(1972)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Valdez Is Coming(1971)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Moonshine War(1970)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Big Bounce(1969)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Hombre(1967)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • 3:10 to Yuma(1957)

    Short Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • The Tall T(1957)

    Novel · Short Story · Story

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Schlitz Playhouse of Stars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Story

  • Mr. Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Book

Career shape

A full career of 43 titles, 42 of them dated from 1951 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Get Shorty (1995)

$115M worldwide

Highest rated

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Midcredits 95th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Writing40 of 43: 35 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score57thProducing5 of 43: 0 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score36thOther crew3 of 43: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

43 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1950s3 · crew1960s2 · crew1970s4 · crew1980s14 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s6 · crew2010s4 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Elmore Leonard's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 28; across their 30 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 30

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up10
  • 50th to 74th7
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

11 of their 31 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed11

Most divisive · writer

The Return of Desperado (1988)

61st percentile spread · 10% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Justified (2010)

Midcredits 98th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 61/100 and the plot and story 50/100 in their films, across 27 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Elmore Leonard's work okay for kids?

Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles46–81 · median 54 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity16 titles17–61 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity11 titles27–90 · median 72 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles33–61 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles16–56 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Elmore Leonard work with?

People who share at least 2 of Elmore Leonard's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Scott Frank shares the most, 3.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles