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Synopsis

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.

Director

Original

David Cronenberg

David Cronenberg, also known as the King of Venereal Horror or the Baron of blood, was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1943. His father was a journalist, and his mother was a piano player. After showing an inclination for literature at an early age (he wrote and published eerie short stories, thus following his father’s path) and for music (playing classical guitar until he was 12), Cronenberg graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Literature after switching from the science department. He reached the cult status of horror-meister with the gore-filled, modern-vampire variations of Shivers (1975) and Rabid (1977), following an experimental apprenticeship in independent filmmaking and in Canadian television programs.

Cronenberg gained popularity with the head-exploding, telepathy-based Scanners (1981) after the release of the much underrated, controversial, and autobiographical The Brood (1979). Cronenberg become a sort… read more

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Obient

27May12

Just a good film. Martin Sheen steals the show.

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robotkathleen

25Apr12

i'm fond of this film for atmospheric rather than technical reasons. there's something really pure about it. and i think there's a beautifully balanced idea of justice at the end, which of course i didn't take literally. many of us don't need second sight to spot corruption, in global politics or among the individuals we meet; it just felt nice to be reminded of faith in that in a 'magic-realist' way.

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film_lies101

4Apr12

One of Cronenberg's finest which features Christopher Walken in arguably, his greatest role.

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meancreek

19Dec11

Cronenberg does wonderful things in this film, and it's a real pleasure to see a master like him at work. He knows how to incorporate fear and terror into his films in quite astonishing ways and it's ever present here. Walken fits the role perfectly and this is surely one of his finest performances that I've seen. A real horror delight with and ending that will send shivers down your spine. Genius.

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Grimm Up North 2011: THE DEAD ZONE (1983) review

By Twitchfilm.com on October 20, 2011
(Better late than never – let’s begin the rest of my reviews from Manchester’s Grimm Up North 2011, starting with their retro screening of David Cronenberg’s Steven King adaptation The Dead Zone.)It’s
read on Twitchfilm.com

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Untitled

By JB on November 23, 2009

Thrilled to see this finally on the DC page. Would have to disagree with the notion that this is not in keeping with Cronenberg’s personal thematic trajectory. It still strikes me as deeply body conscious…  read review

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