Review of The Dead Zone (1983) by Luke B — 16 Apr 2009
One of the best Stephen King movies. One of Cronenberg's best movies. Both Walken and Sheen giving two of their finest performances. The Dead Zone is a simple idea that has been complicated. Walken is a man who can get glimpses of the past and the future by touching people.
This leads to all sorts of problems which conflict with Walken wanting to live a normal life. He's already lost the girl of his dreams because of a 5 year coma. Cronenberg is very, very restrained in this film.
He uses violence and gore only when absolutely necessary, which isn't that often. The film manages to escape it's episodic narrative by some clever editing techniques and time jumps. It plays out more like biopic than your average thriller.
Sheen is gloriously manic on screen. Tearing it up and becoming a terrifying villain. That's only half the story though, as The Dead Zone has two distinct plots and two very separate cases. It's no surprise that this has been adapted into a TV show.
This film is brilliant and really makes me want to watch the TV show and read the book.
This review of The Dead Zone (1983) was written by Luke B on 16 Apr 2009.
The Dead Zone has generally received positive reviews.
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