Product: The Dead Zone [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
Intelligent, sophisticated and Heart-breaking Adaptation
This has to be one of the most over-looked adaptations of any Stephen King book ( And there have been a few stinkers!) Told at a leisurely pace initially, the film allows the tension to build, and features one of the best performances of Christopher Walken's career. He plays the central character in the story, with a haunted and understated performance that allows you to empathise with, and pity the agonies his character has to endure. There are strong performances all round, with director Cronenberg keeping a close rein on all his performers, with the exception of Martin Sheen who has to play his character as 'barking' in a few key scenes. The film is shot with a minimalist style right through, and even the music beautifully evokes the impending sense of tragedy that we can all feel coming. I remember seeing the film for the first time nearly fifteen years ago, and I hadn't read the book. Today, shock endings are almost expected, with 'The Sixth Sense' being one of the most notable examples. The ending to this film still leaves me tingling, as it did when I first saw it all those years ago. I just didn't see it coming, and it remains to me one of the most poignant bittersweet endings in cinema. I was delighted when this film was released onto DVD, as my old VHS copy was getting a tad grainy. Now I can watch one of my favourite all-time movies over and over with no deterioration in picture or sound quality. This film is one of those little gems that tend to lie undiscovered in the video store, with most patrons passing it over as 'just another Stephen King movie.' It isn't. This is probably cleverer than 'The Sixth Sense' ( Where I always felt the ending owed more to the ending in James Herbert's 'The Survivor' than anything else - I actually guessed the ending before seeing the film!) and definitely more heart-breaking. If the climax of this film doesn't leave you moved, then you have no soul! Rent it, buy it or borrow it, but see it you must!