Product: The Dead Zone [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
Still Reverberates Today
I didn't read the Stephen King story, so I can only comment on the film itself. Maybe that's an advantage, since I didn't have any preconceptions. Many years after seeing "The Dead Zone," my impressions of it still linger. This alone distinguishes it from the hundreds of other movies I've seen.My most vivid recollection is of Christopher Walken as Johnny Smith. Other reviewers have called Walken weird and creepy, but I remember his Johnny Smith as a sensitive and likeable mentor -- the kind of man I would want as a teacher and friend. Walken's portrayal of Smith's warmth and caring was inspirational, and Cronenberg uses this portrayal to convey the idea that goodness and nobility are themselves the aberrations, while pettiness, neglect, and indifference are all too often the norms. Hence, Walken's good guy is the outsider who chooses to battle evil.I say that this film reverberates today because it has parallels in current events. When trying to unmask evil, it is often the good guy who is villified.[spoiler alert -- don't read further if you want to be surprised by the movie's ending]In "The Dead Zone," Johnny Smith attempts to assassinate the evil Martin Sheen character (a senator running for president). The senator, to protect himself from Smith snatches a child from the audience to use as a shield, revealing his true nature (i.e., evildoers are by nature cowards). In the movie, the incident is captured on film and plays prominently in headlines that ostensibly destroy the senator's political aspirations.But this is only a movie. Here in reality, we find parallels in the "Pet Goat" incident, where the president was informed -- while attending a classroom photo op -- that the country was under attack. Instead of excusing himself to take command, he reflexively froze and continued the photo op for 20 plus more minutes, not knowing whether there was a missile or aircraft targeted at him (and the classroom full of kids). All this happened while video cameras recorded every agonizing minute.The incident sparked my recollection of "The Dead Zone," making me appreciate it even more. It's a piece of art that obviously encapsulates timeless revelations about human nature. For that, I consider "The Dead Zone" a memorable experience.