- Actors: Christopher Walken, Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom, Anthony Zerbe
- Directors: David Cronenberg
- Writers: Jeffrey Boam, Stephen King
- Producers: Debra Hill, Dino De Laurentiis, Jeffrey Chernov
- Format: PAL
- Language English, Russian
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Sanctuary
- DVD Release Date: 4 Mar 2002
- Run Time: 103 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00005V8UW
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 20,959 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
One of the very best Stephen King film adaptations, The Dead Zone is imbued with an ever-present atmosphere of dread. Shot in a permanently wintry Canada (standing in for New England), the icy backdrops are subtly employed by director David Cronenberg to accentuate the story’s fatalistic tone. Cronenberg’s welcome emphasis for the most part on psychological terror over physical shocks (something of a change of direction for him after The Brood and Scanners) is further enhanced by composer Michael Kamen’s marvellously chilly music score and Christopher Walken’s understated yet dominating central performance as high school teacher Johnny Smith, who wakes from a coma following a car crash to learn that he has been cursed with the gift of second sight. That his uncanny ability is indeed a curse and definitely not a blessing is made abundantly clear: even when Johnny is able to save people’s lives, there is always a price to pay. The cosmic law of Karma is grimly unforgiving. Herbert Lom, as Johnny’s sympathetic doctor, sums up the character’s plight, "Some things just weren’t meant to be." And even when Johnny learns the terrible secret of future Presidential candidate Greg Stillson (a villainous Martin Sheen), he knows he cannot act without accepting the fatal consequences. Brooke Adams, as the love of Johnny’s life, and Tom Skerrit, as the quietly desperate sheriff on the trail of a serial killer, are excellent in support.
On the DVD: this disc comes with a chunky accompanying booklet with background notes on the film, cast and director, as well as a script excerpt for the originally planned pre-credits sequence (in the finished film we assume Johnny’s second sight is a result of the car accident--this earlier screenplay follows the book more closely). The movie itself--which features the "scissor-suicide" scene uncut--is accompanied by a chatty and informative commentary from film critics Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (a regular Amazon.co.uk contributor). Both the 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen picture and the Dolby 5.1 sound are adequate if unexceptional. --Mark Walker
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Watch this film,
This review is from: The Dead Zone [DVD] (DVD)
It's been a while since I saw this last but I agree it is one of Kings best adaptations along with Misery - so often he gets a raw deal TV movie slant or a moment of fame in Hollywood only to return to being uncool again, for want of a better word.
Christopher Walken is a fine, solid actor and he really works in this film alongside Martin Sheen, giving it a kind of cult classic status. I feel this is even better than The Shinning in my personal opinion. The story for those unaware is political, eerie, bit romantic as in love and loss. It's about sacrifice, greed, desire - really adult themes. Considering it's age it's still a great film and I'm just glad in a way nobody has remade it.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Stephen King film,
By Mr. S. W. Steel "stephensteel" (England) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Dead Zone [DVD] (DVD)
In my view, Stephen King's early works have always been his best.And yet, most of them have suffered from poor translations to film.This film bucks that trend thankfully.
The acting talent here is pretty good.Christopher Walken is always watchable in anything he is in (Deer Hunter and Sleepy Hollow to name just two!)and he does a fine job of making Johnny seem vulnerable, frustrated and ultimately driven to do what he knows he HAS to do.Martin Sheen is good as well.He plays the part of a fervent,and slightly crazed, power hungry politician.Herbert Lom is excellent as Johnny's doctor.Tom Skerritt gets a brief appearance too, and is also believable. The plot is good too and the pacing of the film is spot on.There are definite chapters within the film and there is real development in all of these scenes.I won't spoil the plot, but i can say that all this is a 'horror film' it isn't overly gory or horrific.It is quite thoughtful and poses some interesting moral questions. For those of you have read the book, this follows the plot pretty well, but doesn't go into the same amount of depth, and some reviewers have criticised this - i disagree with that view.To me, the film has been paced correctly and has edited out the things that are not vitally important.If you haven't read the book, i would really recommend it - it is one of Stephen King's best in my view, and doesn't always get the recognition it deserves. This dvd is a brilliant buy in my opinion for a number of reasons - good acting talent, good plot and pacing AND the price is perfect too! Treat yourself to this - fans of Stephen King will love it, and people who like something a bit different will enjoy it too!
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Best Stephen King adaption,
By
This review is from: Dead Zone [VHS] (VHS Tape)
When it was released in 1983, many people thought 'The Dead Zone' was a sell-out for director David Cronenberg. Up until that point Cronenberg had stayed faithful to his auteur vision, writing and directing all his own films in Canada, each one with a strong concentration on original and spectacular special effects (usually based around the body). 'The Dead Zone' proved to be unusual for Cronenberg in that he didn't write the script, it was made in the U.S. with mostly American money and it doesn't feature his trademark gorey effects. In fact this film is the inverse of the usual Cronenbergian theme of the body rebelling against the mind. As Christopher Walken's visions become more and more intense, his body ages faster and he moves closer and closer to death.Instead of spine-chilling special effects, most of the terror here is realized through the stength of the actors' performances. Compared to previous Cronenberg movies the acting here is more interior, more emotional and a deep sense of melancholia prevades throughout. This may have been a conscious choice on behalf of the director whose previous movie 'Videodrome' wasn't such a success at the box office. He wanted to stay within the horror genre he knew but wished to reach a wider audience. What better way to do that than to adapt a story by the self-styled 'Big Mac of literature', Stephen King. Many regard 'The Dead Zone' as the finest cinematic adaption of a Stephen King story. Oh and by the way, did anyone notice that at the beginning of the movie when Walken is teaching his English class he asks them to read 'The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow'? He would eventually play the headless horseman in Tim Burton's version of the tale.
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