Completely pathetic film out of a great book

I don't understand how a top-seller author like Frederick Forsyth can allow such an amateurish interpretation of one of his most gripping books. I've read Avenger twice and enjoyed every page of it. Since I read the book for the first time I said to myself, "what great plot for a movie, or better yet, an in-depth TV series, so they might really extract every drop of suspense".

Then this (I hesitate on the epithet) pathetic movie came one night on my TV screen and I was, at first, glued to my sofa; but as the minutes of lame acting, uncongruent plot and -in general- lousy filming went on, I started firt to get bored, restless and then angry at the director, producer and, ultimately, the author.

Sam Elliot is a great actor, we've seen superb support roles like the Sargeant Major in "We were heroes". I would have thought of no better actor for the part. However, the director manages to make an inarticulate and irreal person out of the character. As others have manifested, the plot is so loose that if you haven't read the book, you'll go through the film clueless. Where are the excellent passages about the British investigator who finds the kid remains? The terrific passage about Dexter entering the banana republic where the Bosnian goon hides, to coin a plan? The interesting methods used to locate him?

In all, thoroughly wasted material that had the manifest potential for a great film. Gone through the cesspool! I don't think that in cases of such gross ineptitude like this one, the financial punishment of a movie bust is enough. These people should be banished from going near a camera for life.

Please, let someone with real filmmaking skills pick up the rights to the book and give us a good miniseries.