Quality horror - what a concept!

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2008)

Let me start by saying I think The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile are both vastly overrated. They're solid competent films, definitely a 7 out of 10, but the greatest ever made? No way!! So now you how I feel about this writer/director combination, going in to this film.
My expectations were modest, and they were greatly exceeded. This is one of the best horror films I've seen in a long time! I would rank it up with Misery and The Shining as the best of the Stephen King adaptations.
I found myself very much drawn in to the story, very uncertain and fascinated by what would happen to the protagonists. The obviously-computer-generated monsters didn't spoil things too much because ultimately their menace proves to be secondary. Director Frank Darabont has the good sense to allow strong writing and acting to trump the slightly-above-average special effects.
Thomas Jane is well-cast in the lead. I don't quite buy him as an artist, but he is very effective as the slightly vulnerable alpha male, trying to get himself and his young son out of a nasty predicament. Marcia Gay Harden plays one of the most odious villains you will ever see on screen, every bit as loathsome as Kathy Bates in Misery.
For the two hours this movie ran, time was suspended for me. What more can you ask from a film of this type? I won't spoil the ending, but I do need to thank Frank Darabont for not ruining the tone of the piece, the way they do with so many other films.