the release of dolores claiborne into wide release this weekend adds another entry into the long list of film adaptations of stephen king 's work .
this slow - moving character study provides some outstanding acting performances by the principals , but suffers from a tepid conclusion , inconsistent direction , and may not have wide commercial appeal .
when the maid , dolores claiborne , is found brandishing a rolling pin standing over the bloody and dead body of her employer , it seems like an open - and - shut murder case .
upon hearing of the death via a mysterious fax , dolores ' estranged and bitter daughter , esquire magazine writer selena st .
george , returns from new york back to her tiny island village childhood home .
as the two clash horns , the story behind the mysterious death of dolores ' abusive husband two decades ago , ruled an accident despite the protests of detective john mackey , is revealed .
did dolores kill her husband ?
and did she kill her employer ?
dolores claiborne is certainly more of a character study than a suspense thriller .
consequently , it is fortunate that their cast includes some of hollywood 's finest character actors , such as bates , leigh and strathairn .
kathy bates plays the film 's title character , and gives a sensational lead performance .
dolores claiborne is essentially a showcase for the talent of bates , as her character has a huge amount of screen time .
she dominates the screen , producing a character that is compelling and arresting , as we watch the character go through two decades of history via flashbacks .
kathy bates ' performance is award - calibre stuff .
the rest of the cast is also very good .
jennifer jason leigh plays the perpetually sour , bitter helena st .
george well , and christopher plummer seems to be enjoying himself as dolores ' ever - present nemesis , the determined detective john mackey .
david strathairn is particularly interesting and suitably smarmy and despicable as dolores ' husband , joe st .
george .
judy parfitt is fine as dolores ' tyrannic socialite employer , vera donovan -- it would have been interesting to see , say , meg foster in this role .
child actor ellen muth is also worth noting as the young selena during the flashback sequences ; she is very impressive .
the direction of dolores claiborne by taylor hackford wildly varies throughout the film , ranging from some parts which are quite clever in their own right , to parts which are embarrassingly hokey .
the segues between flashbacks and the present are very hit - and - miss in terms of effectiveness .
the pacing of the film tends to be numbingly slow , which tends to undermine any suspense which might be built up . however ,
the cinematography by gabriel beristain is wonderful
-- i particularly like the chilling ice - blue hue permeating the present - day scenes , contrasting well with the many nova scotia ocean shots -- and danny elfman provides a surprisingly understated score for the film .
it would seem that the commercial potential of dolores claiborne is limited .
none of the performers in the film could be classified as a big draw , and its pacing may be a turn - off to those expecting a gripping suspense film filled with twists and turns and car crashes and axe - wielding psychopaths .
although being essentially the only film in its genre in release now , it may also be hurt by the negative perception of king works , even with the recent critical success of the shawshank redemption and the stand .
dolores claiborne suffers from a very unsatisfying conclusion , and moves very slowly . however ,
the performances are uniformly excellent , particularly kathy bates , and the film has its moments
.
on my four - star scale , i give dolores claiborne three stars .
gives a sensational lead performance she is very impressive she dominates the screen the film has its moments performance is award - calibre stuff is also very good their cast includes some of hollywood 's finest character actors is also worth noting provides some outstanding acting performances i particularly like the cinematography by gabriel beristain is wonderful provides a surprisingly understated score the performances are uniformly excellent