Not nearly as enveloped as others

Rating: 5/10 (13 August 2007)

Why do producers have a predilection for adapting Stephen King's impressionistic short stories? Although they're blessed with a catchy premise their resolutions are almost always sloppy and overstuffed assuring filmmakers a difficult time ascribing both the visual and temporal into a convincing emotional whole. Unfortunately, this film follows that same pattern. Two different teams collaborated on this project, and their differing takes on the material rears its head early as scenes feel disjointed and the dialogue a little too irreverently silly. However, the strength of the premise and appealing takes by Cusack and Jackson - their scene has a mephistophiclean appeal - draws us into the far-fetched notion of a single room in a large metropolitan hotel as being the beacon of a ridiculous amount of freakish happenings. Credit also to director Hafstrom for using employing every possible camera angle inside '1408' as to open up the audience's mind as to where the source of menace may be coming from...or coming at you next. Cusack is quite capable of carrying most ships as long as he's not required to burden the emotional load. But, this is a King tale - their can't be horror without some treacly subplot involving a kid. And plop - as the action in the room grows more hectic, Cusack's forced to wring through every emotion imaginable... and everything falls apart. I didn't buy anything from the hour point on...and the last moments inside the room are ludicrous. Cusack wisely knows he lacks the talent or charisma to appear in either tentpole or prestige pictures every year - so he generously offers himself to genre - wistful romantic comedy being his favorite. Although this is a sidestep from 'Identity's' surprising bounty, he should continue exploring the dark side - though something closer to 'Grosse Pointe's' black comedy would probably suit his appeal a lot more.