Review of The Dead Zone (1983) by Heressssss J — 14 Feb 2011

The Dead Zone is a psychological thriller film directed by David Cronenberg, and stars Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Tom Skerritt, and Brooke Adams.

The Dead Zone is about a school teacher named Johnny Smith, who after getting in a car wreck, is in a coma for five years. When he wakes up, Johnny finds that he has lost his job and that his fiance has moved on and gotten married. Johnny also finds that upon physical contact, he can see a persons past, present, and future.

I watched this movie about a year ago and I really didn't care too much for it. But upon giving it another chance, I found that it was quite a spectacular movie. The Dead Zone has a very straightforward premise, but expands on that premise into something deeper and more thought provoking. While your watching this film, you can almost put yourself into Johnny's situation and try to answer the main question this film brings out. And that is, If you knew someone was going to do something horrible before they did it, and you were the only one who could stop it, would you?

I have always been a fan of most of David Cronenberg's work, and his direction in The Dead Zone is spot on. Cronenberg builds up the suspense until the very end, which by the way is very satisfying and very memorable. The acting is top notch from everyone, but especially from Christopher Walken and Martin Sheen. Christopher Walken knocks his part out of the park, and brings a certain humbleness and sincerity to the character of Johnny Smith that I don't think anyone else could have pulled off. You can really sympathize and care for his character, and thats something I always appreciate in a film.

The Dead Zone is a fantastic film that is underrated by most people, and should get a lot more attention. The musical score by Michael Kamen is great too, and fits the film perfectly. The acting is top notch, the direction is perfect, and the story is interesting. Definitely check this out.