Tyrone
12-15-2001, 11:40 AM
It sure seems like a lot of intelligent people see this film [THE DEAD ZONE] as either a great Stephen King book-to-film translation or a great horror flick or a piece-of-crapola which just so happens to feature one of the best actors of our time, but I think it goes way beyond that, thanks in part to the style of the one-of-a-kind director David Cronenberg. What it really boils down to is Cronenberg's distorted view of human beings, physically and psychologically. That view serves this film well, making it into an intelligent and compelling psychological thriller. Cronenberg's approach is sterile and cold in a "clinical" way, and anyone who has seen some of his other films, in particular "Dead Ringers", can understand just how skilled he is at portraying an almost documentary-type feel, except these are entertaining doc's like CRUMB or LOST PARADISE, although DEAD RINGERSW is more like Series 7 meeets family feud. . His films are like grotesque paintings that while disgusting and shocking never push me away, instead leaving me wanting more of the same, more of the macabre. The characters he creates, while unlikely candidates, are filled with humanity and compassion, their plight making them victims of the strange and beautiful human condition that rules us all.
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is the center of the story. He is a well-liked schoolteacher who seems to be reaching a good point in his life... career, romance, everything. One fateful and stormy day he falls victim to misfortune in the form of an automobile accident. Semi-truck versus Volkswagen Beetle... you make the call. As a result of the accident he goes into a five year coma, his life changed forever... career gone, romance gone, everything. He learns of his love lost and his body changed, not to mention the strange sensation he gets when he comes in contact with someone's flesh. With his heart broken and feeling like he has woken from some terrible nightmare, he slowly becomes more and more aware of his newfound paranormal powers, learning how to use them to see tragedy before it happens. The local sheriff (Tom Skerritt) learns of his ability and incorporates him in a manhunt of a local serial killer which leads to a wonderfully morbid bathroom scene. Johnny goes on to work as a private tutor and has more disheartening visions as his notoriety grows. In the end, Johnny is left with some difficult and important decisions... how to use his powers and what role he must play in the future.
The entire film is dependent on a great central character, and Walken comes through with yet another brilliant performance. In fact, this performance is very different from many he has played in that he really shows the viewer a wide assortment of true and honest emotions, from innocent and in love to depressed and betrayed, happy and sweet to tortured and sad. His performance is uplifting yet tragic, a bit of a walking and talking oxymoron, a real and three-dimensional contradiction, but then again so is Christopher Walken. The rest of the cast make for an interesting backdrop to Walken's Smith, but this movie belongs to Walken and Cronenberg. In fact, I thought it was interesting that only about twenty minutes of the film are in keeping with Stephen King's novel adaptation. Cronenberg made his own film, so the best way to view this film is as his take on King's characters and as close to a romantic film as Cronenberg has ever made. Also, despite straying from King's book and script (the film credit's show Jeff Boam) Cronenberg brought to life one of my favorite novels in a fashion befitting of the original story. I would definitely recommend this film to any fans of psychological thrillers, romantic films or character study's... just keep in mind that Cronenberg is not your average director.
http://www.cronenberg.freeserve.co.uk/images/deadzone.jpg
Please thoughts? About madness, hysteria, THE DEAD ZONE, Chris Walken, etc...
[This message has been edited by Tyrone (edited 12-15-2001).]
Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is the center of the story. He is a well-liked schoolteacher who seems to be reaching a good point in his life... career, romance, everything. One fateful and stormy day he falls victim to misfortune in the form of an automobile accident. Semi-truck versus Volkswagen Beetle... you make the call. As a result of the accident he goes into a five year coma, his life changed forever... career gone, romance gone, everything. He learns of his love lost and his body changed, not to mention the strange sensation he gets when he comes in contact with someone's flesh. With his heart broken and feeling like he has woken from some terrible nightmare, he slowly becomes more and more aware of his newfound paranormal powers, learning how to use them to see tragedy before it happens. The local sheriff (Tom Skerritt) learns of his ability and incorporates him in a manhunt of a local serial killer which leads to a wonderfully morbid bathroom scene. Johnny goes on to work as a private tutor and has more disheartening visions as his notoriety grows. In the end, Johnny is left with some difficult and important decisions... how to use his powers and what role he must play in the future.
The entire film is dependent on a great central character, and Walken comes through with yet another brilliant performance. In fact, this performance is very different from many he has played in that he really shows the viewer a wide assortment of true and honest emotions, from innocent and in love to depressed and betrayed, happy and sweet to tortured and sad. His performance is uplifting yet tragic, a bit of a walking and talking oxymoron, a real and three-dimensional contradiction, but then again so is Christopher Walken. The rest of the cast make for an interesting backdrop to Walken's Smith, but this movie belongs to Walken and Cronenberg. In fact, I thought it was interesting that only about twenty minutes of the film are in keeping with Stephen King's novel adaptation. Cronenberg made his own film, so the best way to view this film is as his take on King's characters and as close to a romantic film as Cronenberg has ever made. Also, despite straying from King's book and script (the film credit's show Jeff Boam) Cronenberg brought to life one of my favorite novels in a fashion befitting of the original story. I would definitely recommend this film to any fans of psychological thrillers, romantic films or character study's... just keep in mind that Cronenberg is not your average director.
http://www.cronenberg.freeserve.co.uk/images/deadzone.jpg
Please thoughts? About madness, hysteria, THE DEAD ZONE, Chris Walken, etc...
[This message has been edited by Tyrone (edited 12-15-2001).]