Cheap The Dead Zone (DVD) (Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams) (David Cronenberg) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Dead Zone

There's lots of good acting here. Brooke Adams, Tom Skerrit, Colleen Dewhurst, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe and Martin Sheen is a maniacal presidential candidate (Greg Stillson). Ok, so maybe Sheen's performance seems a bit over the top, but I kinda see what they were going for. Stillson's in complete command of his abillity to manipulate events, to gain recognition for his own accomplishments (to be believed), and by doing so, garners more votes, to gain the highest office of the most powerful country in the world...unlike ego- and soul-crushed Smith who must wrestle with his moral dilemma. I don't want to give away too much, but the ending is well done and even makes you think.

Some people, in these pages, have said they've been a little reluctant to use words like "haunting" to discribe this movie, since the words are so over-used. I agree. All the superlatives I can think of, fail to underline how unusually affecting this film is. I hope more people will see it.

Not a Horror Movie, But a Suspenseful Drama.
Stephen King is a really good writer, even though he has become known as the king of horror. However, the best Stephen King stories are the one's that really aren't horror stories, such as "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and THE GREEN MILE. Not surprisingly, these are the same stories that when adapted have been turned into the best movies. THE DEAD ZONE is another one of these films.

THE DEAD ZONE is about a teacher named Johnny Smith (brilliantly played by Christopher Walken). After a mysterious night at a carnival, Johnny gets in a car accident after dropping off his girlfriend. He survives the accident but enters a coma and awakens to find himself several years in the future. His entire life has changed seemingly overnight. However, not only that, but Johnny now posesses a psychic gift that allows him to see possible events in the future and events that have occurred in the past. The "gift" seems like a curse and separates Johnny from the rest of the world. The movie builds up to the point when Johnny meets a man running for the US Senate. He sees the evil in the man and the destruction of the world if he is elected. So the question is raised, if you could go back in time and kill Hitler, would you?

THE DEAD ZONE stays fairly close to the King novel it is based upon. There really isn't any horror here, just a tasty morsel of the supernatural. Walken, who so often finds trouble finding good work because of his peculiar physical appearance and voice, fits the part of Johnny Smith perfectly. Also memorable is Tom Skerrit in the role of a local sheriff and Martin Sheen as the shady politician. The movie is worth watching and serves as a good introduction to some of the non-horror writings of Stephen King.

The Best King Adaption!
John Smith (Walken) leads a humble, but fulfilling life as a teacher, has a sweet girlfriend and an all around normal life until, in his words: "God through and 18-wheeler at me." After a 5 year coma Johnny wakes up to find he knew is a different place and that he is a different person.

I've seen The Dead Zone in bits and pieces many MANY times on TV, but surprisingly never sat down and watched it from beginning to end. Well, one night I popped this baby in and realized what a dumbass I had been. The Dead Zone is simply an unforgettable thriller and quite possibly the best film based on a Stephen King novel. Our hero in this film is the everyman, a man who lives humbly and happily. A man with a lovely girlfriend and would-be wife who is respected in his community. Everything is good in his little world until one rainy night when he has a run in with a big truck that puts him in a coma for 5 years. When Johnny wakes up he finds the world has changed. His girlfriend is now married with child, his job is gone, and his body is shot. AND on top of that he can predict the future of those he touches. Mostly predicting death and destruction, but occasionally seeing the past. This new ability is considered a curse at first. As though God played a cruel trick on him, but after saving a little girl's life, solving a series of brutal murders, and saving a boy from drowning, Johnny considers his gift a blessing.

Just as Johnny begins coming to grips with his abilities he meets Greg Stillson (Sheen), a candidate for a senator and very dangerous man who dreams of becoming president. After seeing some kind of Hitler-esque prophecy Smith sets out to change the future, even if he has to sacrifice himself.

The Dead Zone is of course based on the book by Stephen King and is directed by David Cronenberg who's best known for making sexually surreal thrillers. This is definitely Cronenberg's most straight forward and best film. Shot in the fall, covered in bleak gray skies, and snow, the atmosphere of The Dead Zone couldn't be more perfect. The small town adds a sense of isolation that forces Smith to take digs at a new location at the half way point of the film to get his back together. Cronenberg's usual bleakness is here, but in this film is means something is crucially needed not just for the sake of atmosphere.

Christpher Walken is riveting as Smith, one of his best performances. The tragic everyman, who didn't ask to be anything special, but when it came down to crunch time the guy wagered it all to save the many. A truly powerful exercise in selflessness. Brooke Adams is great as Smith's would-be wife, now torn between her feeling for him and her new love. Great performance! Martin Sheen is a good villain, but takes his character a bit over the top at times. Herbert Lom is good as Johnny's friend/slash doctor as well.

The Dead Zone can be looked upon as a depressing tragedy, but I don't consider it to be that way. The finale speaks volumes about selflessness, seizing your potential and not pissing away your true gifts. The finale while sad is more chilling and unforgettable, not a tragic fate, but a product of ultimate sacrifice.

The Dead Zone is simply a brilliant film, an unforgettable journey, and one of the most fulfilling films I've seen. A true classic and one film that deserves it's place in cinema history. Check it out!