Lem Dobbs on AllMovie

Screenwriter Lem Dobbs has carved out a unique niche as a talent whose greatest work may exist, but has yet to be seen. After doing some uncredited polishing on Romancing the Stone and writing a made-for-cable thriller, Dobbs got his first feature credits on 1991's Kafka and The Hard Way. Kafka, a willfully difficult, literate screenplay, was directed by Steven Soderbergh as his follow-up to sex, lies, and videotape. After that film suffered the traditional sophomore slump, Dobbs worked on a variety of projects. The cult favorite science fiction film Dark City would be his first onscreen credit in seven years. He would team up with Soderbergh again for The Limey in 1999, but Dobbs was not happy with many of the changes the director made to the script. They have a revealing, entertaining debate on the DVD for The Limey, a movie which also qualifies as one of the highlights of Dobbs' career. In 2001, Dobbs brought his unique sensibilities to Frank Oz's caper film The Score. As impressive as these credits are, it is the legendary, unproduced screenplay titled "Edward Ford," written when Dobbs was 19, that looms largest over his career. Widely considered one of the very best screenplays never produced, "Edward Ford" is about a cowboy actor. While it is unclear if Dobbs will ever see his prized work hit the big screen, his work has shown a keen intelligence that is capable of working in many different film genres.