David Cronenberg's first foray into mainstream filmmaking is also one of his most satisfying pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, the movie stars Christopher Walken as Johnny, a man who has been in a coma for five years and wakes up to find that he can tell a person's fate just by touching them. Realising that he can .. Read more
| Starring | Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom |
|---|---|
| Director | David Cronenberg |
| Genres | Horror, Thriller |
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David Cronenberg's first foray into mainstream filmmaking is also one of his most satisfying pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, the movie stars Christopher Walken as Johnny, a man who has been in a coma for five years and wakes up to find that he can tell a person's fate just by touching them. Realising that he can change the future as well, Johnny soon intervenes in a number of would-be tragedies. Consequently, he soon becomes famous for his gift, but he longs for his former life, when he still had his job, his fiancee, and a normal life. However, when he shakes hands with a future president of the United States (Martin Sheen, in a wonderfully hammy performance) who could end up being the biggest mass murderer since Hitler, Johnny wrestles with what seems to be his destiny. Walken's bravura performance forms the soul of this excellent and touching thriller.
| Starring | Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Martin Sheen, Anthony Zerbe, Colleen Dewhurst |
|---|---|
| Director | David Cronenberg |
| Studio | SANCTUARY |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Horror, Thriller |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Subtitles | DVD: English, French, Spanish |
| Released | DVD: 29 Jul 2004 Production year: 1983 |
| Format | DVD |
In this engrossing yet strangely unembellished adaptation of Stephen King's bestseller by director David Cronenberg, Christopher Walken plays the teacher who wakes up from a coma to find he has acquired the ability to foresee the future. As his value to society increases, his life crumbles, especially when he envisions the horrifying truth of mankind's destiny under the possible control of evil politician Martin Sheen. While it has none of Cronenberg's usual bracing style and is quite abrupt in parts, it does carry a surprisingly thoughtful and moving charge at times, with Walken, Sheen and Brooke Adams giving topnotch performances.
"...An accomplished psychological thriller....[Cronenberg] gets some appealing performances....Walken links each episode together quite well, accurately conveying the character's growing mental, physical and emotional anguish..."
THE DEAD ZONE is -- by far -- the best Stephen King adaption ever to grace the silver screen. Screenwriter Jeffery Boam has done an amazing job of stripping away a lot of the grisly excess that sometimes overshadowed King's terrifying story -- it tripped up the narrative unnecessarily. Lean and mean, but still full of lovely detail, texture, and emotional shading, the film pulls us into the story not through simplistic sensationalism but through character.
A guy gets caught in a car crash and is in a coma for several years he wakes from the coma and everything that mattered in his life is gone. he now has the gift of when he touched someone he can see the future and thier deaths etc
Each time he does this it kills him a little more so he is left with the choice of helping others and becoming dead or doing the wrong thing. Needless to say he finds himself solving murders and saving lives as the film hurtles towards its climax.
I really enjoyed this film the lead role honestly looks like his health goes down hill the later into the film it goes. The film itself looks old but this won't subtract from your enjoyment
Very pleased