28 March 2024
The Dead Zone (1983)
103 min.
Directed by David Cronenberg.
With Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Martin Sheen, Tom Skerritt, Colleen Dewhurst, Herbert Lom.
This somber Stephen King adaptation concerns a school teacher who must confront his newfound psychic powers after spending five years comatose.

Cronenberg's direction is appropriately low-key, and Walken is utterly sincere in one of his best performances.

The downbeat mood is both depressing and lovely at the same time, with fine wintery New England atmosphere to spare.

The subplot with Sheen as a contemptible politician who poses the threat of WWIII may make the film seem dated, but many others involving Walken using his abilities to help others are genuinely moving and timeless.

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