Stick is a 1985 American crime film based on Elmore Leonard's 1983 novel, and starring and directed by Burt Reynolds.

[3] Ernest "Stick" Stickley, a former car thief played by Reynolds, has just been released from prison after serving seven years for armed robbery.

He meets up with an old friend, Rainy, who talks Stick into accompanying him for a "quick stop" near the Florida Everglades before they go to his home.

The "quick stop" turns out to be an illegal drug deal set up by Rainy's dealer, Chucky, that goes sour.

While lying low, Stick finds himself in the right place at the right time when he helps a wealthy eccentric named Barry Braham, get into his locked car.

Hired as a driver, he now has a comfortable home with a stable job, and tries to make up for lost time with Katie, his teenage daughter.

He also finds a new flame in Kyle, a financial consultant who acts as a business adviser for Barry played by Candice Bergen, who must choose if a relationship with Stick is worth it.

After rescuing his daughter, Stick calls Kyle on a mobile phone and arranges for the two lovers to meet in the median of a highway, where they embrace.

The book sold well and, along with the publication of La Brava, and helped revive interest in Leonard's career, particularly when it was announced Burt Reynolds would make a film of it.

[4] Reviewing the book, the New York Times wrote "when Mr. Leonard is observing, satirizing, plotting, working up suspense, thickening the air with menace, discharging it in lightning flashes of violence, exposing the black holes behind the parts people play - when he tends to business, that is, he gives us as much serious fun per word as anyone around.

"[8] Famed stuntman Dar Robinson, who played Moke, the albino hit-man, filmed his death scene by free falling from the side of a building while firing a gun.

Robinson used his own invention, a decelerator, so cameras could film from above without a visible airbag below (a scattering crowd of people below can also be seen in this shot).

This was Robinson's only true acting credit before he died in an on-set motorcycle accident during the making of Million Dollar Mystery in 1986.

[13] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 31 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".

Certainly his eagerness to film Mr. Leonard's Florida-based crime drama is understandable; the book has crackling tough-guy dialogue and a story that practically tells itself.

"[15] A review in Variety stated "Despite a few good action sequences, overall pic lacks the tension and suspense that could have got audiences involved instead of only mildly interested.

Actor Reynolds' portrayal of Stick, a gritty ex-con out to avenge a friend's murder, is not much different from his good-old-boy persona in the 'Cannonball Run' films.

"[17] Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Elmore Leonard's novel "has been rendered jokey, flaccid, and, the worst crime of all, deadly slow.

"[18] Paul Attanasio of The Washington Post wrote "Reynolds never figures out whether he's making a thriller or a spoof, which has been the problem with his performances, too.

They even put another writer on it to add more action... Burt had done Sharky's Machine and Gator and I thought he would be good as Stick.