Product: The Dead Zone [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 4.0
The ICE... is gonna break!
I've never been a fan of Stephen King's books or movies adapted from his stories, but I have to admit I really enjoyed this film. Almost 20 years after it was released, it's still very powerful, and the reasons are multifold.I'm a big Christopher Walken fan, and in this film, he hits every emotion available right on the nose--sympathy for his character, fear of human contact (and the lack of it), disability, weariness... he does it all splendidly, and straighter than most of his other film roles.If that wasn't enough, check out Martin Sheen (now ironically playing the president in "The West Wing") thoroughly enjoying himself as a complete lunatic presidential candidate.The pace of the film is it's greatest strength; it never sacrifices believeability for garishness, and ends on a fitting note, remaining as true to the book as is possible for a movie. It's suspenseful, entertaining, and most of all, fresh. Many movies since then have used elements of it, and for good reason; it's solid filmmaking.