When he died in 2013, US crime novelist Elmore Leonard left behind a prolific number of novels and stories, many of which have over the years provided rich source material for memorable film adaptations. These include Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Jackie Brown and the television series Justified.There's something about Leonard's languidly laconic, sharp-talking underworld characters and effortlessly cool style that's held a magnetic attraction for filmmakers. Unfortunately, Life of Crime - director Daniel Schechter's adaptation of Leonard's 1978 caper novel The Switch - is not one of the more memorable adaptations of the author's work. That might have as much to do with the faults in the source material as it does with Schechter's infuriating lack of cinematic style.Set in Detroit in the 1970s the story follows slick criminal duo Ordell Robbie (Yasiin Bey or Mos Def as he's better known) and Louis Gara (John Hawkes) as they set about kidnapping the wife of a wealthy but dodgy real estate developer named Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins). Problems arise when it turns out that Frank might not be as devoted to his wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston) as the pair would have liked. As their best-laid plans start to unravel and Louis gets a little too enamoured of Mrs Dawson, Robbie must travel to the Bahamas to try and sort things out. Twists and turns and bodies mount up, and what started as a nihilistic, darkly humorous Coen Brothers-style kidnap caper ends up with all of us rooting for Mickey and Louis to consummate their Stockholm Syndrome relationship.Leonard's razor sharp and often dryly hilarious dialogue is one of the strong pull factors for directors and actors who like the freedom it gives them to just sit in rooms and talk. But when you have a director who's unable to punctuate the talkie scenes with the style and visual verve necessary to drive the narrative forward, you end up waiting around for something to happen and not really caring when it finally does.Aniston is perfunctory in the role of the victim, still searching for a place in the world beyond Friends and Brad Pitt. Robbins is suitably nasty as the husband and Hawkes does a decent job of playing the sensitive good guy who just happens to have landed up in a life of crime. It's Bey, though, who steals the show with an effortless cool that chews up the scenery but can't lift the film to the heights of previous Leonard adaptations. It's not the worst Leonard film but it's a long way off from being one of the best.What others sayThe performances are top-notch: Aniston reminding us of the deft comic timing that first so endeared her to us; Hawkes a surprisingly convincing male lead. This is a good-natured, show-not-tell treat, almost bloodless fun. Catherine Shoard, The GuardianIf you're in the market for a workaday crime story, it fulfils some of its obligations, but you might just wish it had more life. Mike McCahill, © The TelegraphAlso openingLOST RIVERRyan Gosling hasn't really made a film at all. Instead, he's pointed a camera at things he thinks belong in one.Robbie Collins, © The TelegraphMINIONSThe little yellow nubs from the Despicable Me movies now have a starring vehicle, but they're still a plush toy in search of a purpose. Stephen Whitty, nj.com..