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Grosse Pointe Blank and Miami Blues director George Armitage dies aged 82
Armitage was also responsible for the 1972 blaxploitation remake of Get Carter, made during his time working for Roger Corman
He subsequently specialised in crime films: Grosse Pointe Blank, which starred John Cusack and Minnie Driver, was his biggest commercial hit, and his final directorial credit was the Elmore Leonard adaptation The Big Bounce in 2004. Aside from the 1979 TV movie Hot Rod, inspired by his teenage experiences in California, Armitage concentrated on writing for the next decade; his next opportunity to direct came via his former Corman compadre Jonathan Demme, who passed the Charles Willeford adaptation Miami Blues to him. Starring Alec Baldwin, Fred Ward and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miami Blues was an indie hit and led to John Cusack, who had optioned Grosse Pointe Blank from writer Tom Jankiewicz, asking Armitage to direct.
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