The Dead Zone (1983)

Walken & Cronenberg combine to make a perfect Dead Zone

One would think that the combination of Stephen King and director David Cronenberg would create a bloody horror film but the result is far from that. They along with the masterful talent of Christopher Walken and a superb cast which includes Martin Sheen, Tom Skerritt, Colleen Dewhurst,Herbert Lom &Brooke Adams have created an eerie tale of premonition and death, not to mention an unforgettable love story. In many ways, this film and "The Fly" are probably the most accessible of David Cronenberg's filmography. I have tried to watch the TV series based on this great movie but for some reason I cannot see Anthony Michael Hall as Johnny Smith since Walken made this role his own (who can forget his monologue to Adams when he returns from his coma?). A superb film that should be released in Blu-ray like "The Fly"--how about it, Paramount? September 14, 2008

I forgot to mention....

This is William E. O'Bryant once again. I wanted to add some other comments about this film, but Amazon only allows one comment per customer. Anyway, this is what I wanted to add:

I also wanted to say that this movie is in essence, about God. It's about Him seeing all, and knowing all. The past, present, and future. It's about Him choosing a man in the right position and then giving him the power of second sight, to not only save the world, but to also help those around him in the process. In the end, this story is about the Love of God, and the hand that He Himself must put in, in order to save humanity from itself. As far as I'm concerned, this film is my favorite out of the 900 odd DVD's that I currently own. My only wish is to go back in time and to be on the crew of this film. I would have loved to help in any way that I could in its creation. Thank you Stephen, for this vision. It is much appreciated. September 3, 2008

One of the best movies in the world.

I love everything about this film. The music....the story....the setting and environment....it's just superb. I don't know what it is about this movie, but whenever I watch it I find myself both enraptured, and teary-eyed at the same time. I can only imagine what it would be like to be in the same kind of situation. To lose so much in your life due to a freak accident, but in return gain the power of second sight, and then later after you wake up from your coma, trying to get back the life you lost. This film is absolutely masterful. The moment it came out on DVD, you can bet I was one of the first to buy it. Get it, watch it, and see what I mean. September 3, 2008

The dead zone is a classic

This movie is a great story of tragedy. A man with foresight helps people, many of whom do not appreciate it and often to his own detriment both physicaly and mentaly. In the end he is faced with a grave vision of the future, a hard choice of what to do and how much will he sacrifice.
This part was made for Christopher Walken.
This is not a horror movie it is more sci-fi drama. August 29, 2008

A Quirky Part for an Actor Who Is Willing to Gamble

Christopher Walken has made a career out of taking those oddball, quirky, edgy roles. Never satisfied with the easy path, he, like Harvey Keitel, takes the tricky, adventurous over the safe and sometimes more profitable parts. He often plays the role of a strange, eerie, kind of nutcase character. Always he seems to be stretching his acting muscles and evolving as an actor.
The book is part of the prolific Stephen King's franchise. In "The Dead Zone," The lead character, Walken as Johnny, spends five years in a coma, and comes out of it with psychic powers. Because he can see into the past and future, and see events taking place elsewhere in the present, he is able to save lives, snare a serial killer, smoke our evildoers, and prevent catastrophes. He learns that he can not only foretell the future but change it. Almost like a comic book super hero.
Herbert Lom is very good as Johnny's doctor. Walken gives an intense performance. Somehow the movie has a low budget feel to it, or could it be downscale production values? The movie is not from one of King's horror books and benefits from this fact. It deals not so much with the supernatural but the paranormal powers of a sad, believable, realistic person. It's a movie to while away some time with. There is nothing brain-wrenching here.
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