Heywood Gould

Heywood Gould (born December 19, 1942) is an American screenwriter, journalist, novelist and film director. He wrote the screenplays for the films Rolling Thunder, The Boys from Brazil, Fort Apache, The Bronx, Streets of Gold, Cocktail, and wrote and directed the films One Good Cop, Trial by Jury, Mistrial and Double Bang.

Rolling Thunder
On the strength of his heavily circulated spec screenplay Fort Apache, The Bronx (unproduced until 1981), Gould was enlisted by star William Devane to rewrite Paul Schrader's Rolling Thunder script. Gould added pop-psych monologues for Devane's character, a former POW, that reflected an almost clinical understanding of his own trauma. Devane opted instead for a terse, contained performance in the mold of Steve McQueen, forgoing Gould's ornate characterization. Only one Gould monologue remains in the film, and it contains the oft-quoted line "You learn to love the rope," a poignant reference to defying one's captors. Aborted monologues aside, Gould's changes to Schrader's script provide the most memorable scenes in the film. Moreover, Gould added flourishes that tied supporting characters more organically to the film's themes.

Partial bibliography

 * Corporation Freak, Tower Books, 1971 (nonfiction account of working at IBM's Advanced Systems Development Division in 1968)