A Modern Dissent Into Madness. But Some Flaws Getting There.

Rating: 8/10 (24 May 2007)

The Shining, tells the story of a caretaker who is assigned to look after a hotel with a sinister past. His wife and young son are with him. Early on, we learn that the son is clairvoyant. He can see the past and future, along with the sinister surroundings that they bring.
An employee cook at the hotel is also clairvoyant and he tells the son about the power that he has. The Overlook Hotel is a very evil place, where a former caretaker murdered his two daughters years ago. Jack Torrance, played superbly by Jack Nicholson seems almost eager to descend into madness as the new caretaker! With the hotel as his responsibility and everyone else gone except his family, the film gives new meaning to the phrase, "Cabin Fever!." There are some very good suspenseful moments in The Shining. Nicholson is excellent as always. His wife Wendy, played by Shelley Duvall, and son Danny, played by Danny Lloyd, also deliver fine performances. But there are some small issues with the film.
One of the problems is that Nicholson seems to be close to crazy before even getting the caretaker job! There is not enough build-up for his character to develop into something crazy brought on by the hotel's forbidding feeling of isolation. His "Madness" is already there and just gets worse as the film progresses.
The film is also VERY predictable because you know what's going to happen with Nicholson's character. You can see his "Madness" coming a mile away. However, Jack acts the part so well that you almost can forgive the film's predictability flaws.
One of the film's best scenes is with Scatman Crothers talking to Danny Lloyd about his clairvoyant (i.e "Shining") ability. While Duvall is very good at acting or reacting to Nicholson's madness, the unfortunate situation is that there isn't much else for her to do but shriek, run, or protect her son from Nicholson.
However, The Shining is still a very good film because of Nicholson. Without Jack, and his brilliant acting skills, this would not be a good movie. Additionally, middle scenes drag because the viewer is waiting to get back to Nicholson on screen and when he is on screen, you can't take your eyes off of him.
If the lesser characters had a better script to act on, rather than react to, Nicholson's behavior, the film would have been a classic. The problem is that The Shining's lesser characters often exist in superficial roles. However, The Shining delivers some fine moments of dramatic tension and suspense. It's not a classic, but is still well worth watching.