10 Film Characters Who Suffered Horrendous Fates In Other Media

John Cusack's hapless mob lawyer almost didn't make the list because his would-be death by accident RV accident is almost too telegraphed. Cusack's unlikable, often stupid criminal has basically lucked his way throughout a series of near-death situations and now his only end can be some irony-laden freak accident.

And that's precisely what happened in Scott Phillips acclaimed 2000 novel. The film went out of its way to be faithful to the novel, which is set in 1976. Rober Benton and Richard Russo even wrote scenes to explain a lack of cell phones despite the updated setting.

But critics and audiences were split on Harold Ramis' decision ultimately to let Cusack live. He manages to escape a mob boss (Randy Quaid) and a femme fatale, he's on the road with a bag full of money, the only thing left for the character to do was die while helping an RV family siphon gas from his car.

In the book, and in deleted scenes, he is indeed run over and killed by the RV. But in the film, he walks back to his car unscathed, his only burden a drunken Oliver Platt to deal with.

It's an understandably controversial ending to a neo-noir that any other director would have bookended with Cusack's untimely death, and while it may not be entirely successful, it was unexpectedly bold to take the happy route.