Product: The Dead Zone [VHS] (1983)
Rating: 5.0
The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God threw an 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find the world he once knew a far different place and that he himself is a now a very different person.I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumb ass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly, almost invariable, the best film adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. He is a man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife. A respected man. A very normal man who cherishes his normal, banal life. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a five-year coma. When Johnny wakes he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body broken. Oh, and the side-effect of his long slumber is to see someone's demise simply touching their flesh. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift and the meretricious fame it brings a blessing.Just as Johnny begins to comie to grips with his new found abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for senator and a very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After a chance meeting with Stillson Johnny forsees a bleak future if Stillson is elected to office. How can Johnny stop the future?The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!