Movie Review: The Dead Zone (1983)
While it’s been a very long time since I’ve read a Stephen King book, back when I used to read him fairly frequently, this was my favourite, based mainly on the strength of the protagonist, Johnny Smith, portrayed here by Christopher Walken.
And this is quite a good adaptation, though the character isn’t as strong as I’d hope. But Cronenberg’s skill as director is on full display here. This was released the same year as what many consider to be his magnum opus, Videodrome. And yeah, it’s definitely not as good as Videodrome, but that’s not a fair comparison. Most movies aren’t Videodrome.
Johnny Smith is a schoolteacher who gets in a car accident and ends up in a coma. When he emerges five years later, he finds that he has a psychic ability that lets him know everything about someone if he comes in contact with them.
The best scene of the movie is when he finally agrees to work as a consultant in tracking down a serial killer. He identifies the killer as one of the cops, Frank Dodd (Nicholas Campbell), and Dodd’s reaction to the understanding that he’s been found out is probably one of the best and most disturbing scenes Cronenberg has ever shot.
The plot takes a turn, as Johnny eventually comes in contact with a young political candidate, Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen), whom he realizes is going to bring about an end to the world through nuclear war when he’s eventually president (even though we all know Sheen makes for a pretty damn good president).
It’s not a movie that’s driven so much by the plot, and that’s what I remember liking so much about the novel. It’s all about the characters, and how Johnny deals with his power. And that’s here, too. Walken does a very good job as someone who desperately wants to be an everyman.
It’s one of the better Stephen King movies out there, even though it’s one I tend to forget about a lot. This is only the second time I’ve ever seen it, and I’ve seen most of his more famous movies at least three or four times. But it’s very good.
Rating: 7/10
