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 Director
: David Cronenberg
Starring
: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Herbert Lom, Tom Skerritt,
Anthony Zerbe, Colleen Dewhurst & Martin Sheen
Picture
1.85:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1, Dual-Layer, Single Side, Keep
Case
Running
Time : 103 mins
The
story:
In
his mind, he has the power to see the future. In his hands,
he has the power to change it
Teacher
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is involved in a horrible
accident which results in him being in a coma for five years.
Once Johnny wakes up he is haunted by the gap his coma has
left in his life. His girlfriend Sarah (Brooke Adams) is
married to someone else and he must face a strict regime
of physiotherapy and convalescence to heal his broken body.
He discovers another thing that he has brought back from
"the dead zone". He has the ability to read a
person's future just by making physical contact with them.
When the local are ready to give up on a high profile murder
case they find out about Johnny's "powers" and bring him
in. Soon Johnny's abilities lead him further and further
into the darkest recesses of the human mind until he realises
that he has been given a purpose and must stop at nothing
to achieve it.
The
summary:
Think
of a Stephen King novel. Then think of great film adaptations
of his work. Slightly thin on the ground aren't they. It
seems that most studios are so eager in stepping over each
other to secure the rights to the book that they overlook
the screenplay that ultimately makes or breaks a King book
to film transition. One of the greatest writers of our generation,
Kings' books are both heavy on narrative and full of deep
and dark characters. When a King film is done correctly
it can be a wondrous thing and notable exceptions to the
rule are The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, Misery,
Dolores Claiborne & Carrie. The lower eschalons are
littered with failed attempts such as Firestarter, Salems
lots and awful TV fodder The Tommyknockers and The Stand.
The Dead Zone, David Cronenbergs' attempt to inject some
intelligence into his horror is placed somewhere in the
middle.
The
film is a very close adaptation of the book, although it
does skip over the relationship between Johnny Smith (Walken)
and Sarah (Brooke Adams) that features throughout the first
200 pages of the novel and leaves it slightly unexplained
due to not developing their bond. It also fails to explain
the full reaching implications of "The Dead Zone"
that make the book a very enlightened piece of writing.
That said the film is still a sometimes dark and very well
presented horror/thriller that blurs the lines between the
genres. Walken is an inspired piece of casting cast as Johnny
Smith and represents the perfect embodiment of strength
of character and frailty of body. The supporting cast is
also good, with Martin Sheen stealing the show as crooked
President wannabe Greg Stilson.
What
Cronenburg manages to achieve is a solid film that looks
good, feels good and entertains. It is a perfect addition
to the horrors of its day and does feel reminiscent in places
of The Omen and certainly was a precursor for later Cronenburg
masterpieces. The films jewel is the ending, which is slightly
different to the book but manages to better explain what
Johnny's character is trying to achieve.
The
DVD is a fairly old (in DVD terms) release that features
the usual early release extra's - A trailer !. In these
days of a cornucopia of supplemental material we have all
but shunned the early releases for their lack of ambition.
This is still a worthy addition to your collection though
and with its newly mastered 5.1 mix and the best picture
yet seen for the film it will deliver the true spirit of
the film to your door.
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