It's a cracker

Rating: 9/10 (9 April 2003)

Blimey what a film! no matter what Stephen King says, Stanley Kubrick has worked wonders with King's original novel.
Jack Torrance (God/Jack Nicholson) travels to the isolated Overlook Hotel to take the job of "janitor" with his wife and son during the winter, so as to work on his novel without any distractions. Jack has been told about the horrific past of the Overlook; about the insane man who murdered his wife and two daughters, but never-the-less Jack grasps the job by the...horns.
With the exception of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, i believe this to be Jack's best performance, he gets Torrance's quirky nature down to a T. Duvall, who plays the role of Jacks wife, is somewhat lacking in the "good acting" department - she does pull of petrified wife face rather well, only is that acting or just how she looks? well she isn't exactly Rachel Leigh Cook. The kid's ok i guess, if not a little wooden but hey he's only, what, 8? Kubrick definatly strays from Stephen King's Original novel, which is exactly what he should have done, if you've ever seen thinner, you'll know exactly what i mean. Kubrick has done an amazing job on the shining, the relatively new invention of the steady-cam came in handy, you just have to wonder how that dwarf managed to hold the thing up whilst running behind the kid on his pedal powered Tricycle. to sum up, this horror is a work of genius, Kubrick has strayed away from turning it into a gore fest and instead turns the horror to a more psychological level.