Ranking - Stephen King Film Adaptations

(Still haven't seen: The Dead Zone though as a Christopher Walken fan I probably should.)

12. Carrie (2013)

Just a horribly conceived remake and possibly the worst attempts at trying to recreate 1970's horror cinema. Whereas the 2006 remake of The Omen had at least some inspired performances to make up for its general incompetence, this remake of the 1976 Brian de Palma classic is just awful in almost every way imaginable. The special effects manage to look both overdone and forgettable, scary scenes come across as almost laughably bad, and though I guess Chloe Grace Moretz and Judy Greet aren't awful (though they're not very good either), everyone else is downright terrible, Yeah, you know a film's acting is terrible when even Ansel Elgort isn't the worst participant in it.

11. The Running Man

I find very little in the way of redeeming qualities to this film and I'm generally do like Arnie films. I don't even think Richard Dawson's performance in this is all that great, just a bit of inspired casting I guess to enliven a pretty dull film. I guess this could use a re-watch as I really don't remember much about it, but I'm not exactly full of enthusiasm for doing so.

Amendation: No just watched some clips again, Dawson is pretty great in the role, but I just don't have the enthusiasm to struggle through the film again.

10. Apt Pupil

Absolute mess of a film in almost all respects. I don't hate Brad Renfro's performance as some seem to but I do think he wastes not only a lot of the film's potential with his handling of the main character, a disturbed 16-year old who finds out with malevolent glee that his next-door neighbour is former Nazi war criminal. It's a shame since he displayed a great deal of talent in some of his other roles, most notably Bully, and Bryan Singer's incredibly unassured direction here makes the tonal switches between dark comedy and pure bleakness so uncomfortable, and not in the right way. That it works at all is of course testament to Ian McKellen as the neighbour, solidifying himself as one of my favourite actors with his slowly revealing performance of pure evil unraveling, that the film never deserved in the first place.

9. The Shining

Yeah I'm not going to be generic and add that picture...

I must admit I haven't seen this one in a while, but I certainly don't remember being very taken with it. It has a certain undeniable quality like even the weakest of Stanley Kubrick's films, of vision and daring, and several quite haunting moments, but in the end it doesn't feel quite cohesive to me, and sometimes feels more like a Jack Nicholson showcase than anything else. Again I do need a re-watch.  

Fine. 

8. It

A film of two halves...well, not really. I find the first half or so of It pretty brilliant in many respects, as it so palatably creates a never-relenting feeling of suspense and terror in the viewer as we view from a few childhood friends' perspectives, Tim Curry's insanely entertaining, and terrifying, portrayal of  Pennywise. The second half is a bit of a letdown, the gradual buildup to the climax is well done enough but the climax itself, involving a giant spider, is a bit lacking. Still, the actors in the adult version are good, with Dennis Christopher in particular the standout, though they are overshadowed by the child actor performances (look out for a very young Seth Green), and I do find the ending quite moving.

On a sidenote, I'm really annoyed the planned future miniseries with Will Poulter as Pennywise was cancelled. I would've loved to see his take on the character.

7. Carrie (1976) (please don't watch this clip if you're feeling squeamish)

I hate to put it this low and I should note there's a pretty big leap between this and It, and The Shining. I will admit that certain aspects of it do feel a bit dated (though the remake made me appreciate the haunting quality of some moments), De Palma's never been a favourite of mine as a director (though again compared to the remake his touch is impeccable), and though I enjoy Piper Laurie's performance I do find it to be a bit much at certain points (though I think Julianne Moore's incredibly mishandled approach does show that Laurie had the right idea). Anyway though it's not one of my favourites, I do think it is a very effective horror film, and bolstered by an amazing lead performance by Sissy Spacek.

6. The Mist

Perhaps the sheer impact of its ending brings it up a bit for me. Nevertheless, this is a very taut, incredibly well-directed effort by Frank Darabont, my least favourite of his King adaptations though that's really not saying much seeing as I like to love all of them. It's not quite The Thing or The Hateful Eight in generating such a strong sense of tension and fear but it's not far off, as we become so absorbed in the plight of these common citizens cramped into a supermarket, shut off from the rest of the world and confronted with a mysterious, otherworldly and terrifying creatures from the titular mist. Acting is uniformly solid, with Marcia Gay Harden in particular great as a religious fanatic, and even if you've read the book, the ending will hit you very, very hard.

5. Dolores Claiborne

Kathy Bates and Stephen King just seem so attuned to one another. Here, as the titular Dolores she gives a knockout performance as a caretaker falsely accused of the murder of her employer, and as we watch her attempt to reconcile with her daughter (an excellent Jennifer Jason Leigh) and deal with her horrible past and excruciatingly painful marriage to George (a reprehensible, unrecognisable and incredibly effective David Strathairn). It's a psychological thriller that's hard to watch at times but with a surprising amount of heart underneath, and well worth a watch.

4. Stand By Me

One of the best examples of the coming of age story done on film. This adaptation removes a great deal of the supernatural elements of the source material, which is fine because that means it's all parred down to a simple road trip of sorts, of four small-town boys who go a'searching for the dead body of a missing child. The four child actors, including the late great River Phoenix, are the pinnacle of naturalism and have such an easy chemistry with one another that makes watching them just shoot the breeze so enjoyable. It's not just a fun tale though as it also tackles some very real, hard-hitting issues of pubescent problems, never sugercoating them and making the film every bit as heartfelt and moving, as it is entertaining. It has many beautiful sequences (the deer scene, the campfire scene), exciting scenes (the train scene) and its conclusion, which ends with a reprisal of that great Ben E. King song 'Stand By Me', is fantastic.

3. The Shawshank Redemption

This film. #1 of all-time on IMDB, and also many other movie lists. I can certainly see why it's as beloved as it is due to its resonant, universal themes of hope and resilience, that amazing soundtrack, a great screenplay and a very well-written screenplay that not only gives focus to our protragonist Andy's (Tim Robbins) predicament in jail, but also extends to the other prisoners and gives the film such a vivid sense of place, like you're really in there with these inmates. The performances are all good, and Robbins in particular is great at making so much out of a very unique role, a none too likable (initially) chap who we grow to root for. The first time I watched it I really didn't like Robbins' portrayal from the outset, which made his gradual arc all the more heartfelt and moving to me. Watching that ending never fails to bring tears to my eyes because of Robbins' wonderful work.

The villain's are properly despicable, James Whitmore has a wonderful and tragic little role as a prisoner far too immersed in prison life to get used to life on the outside, did I mention the soundtrack is amazing (and is equally well used in Simple Jack ;) ), and above all my favourite part of the film Morgan Freeman's narration. No film has used that voice of his as well since. That this is not my favourite Stephen King prison film speaks volumes about the greatness of the one that is.

2. Misery (again please don't watch clip if you're feeling squeamish)

I would talk more about this film but that'd be spoiling half the fun. Essentially a three-character piece, this great psychological horror is a claustrophobic, disorientating and utterly brilliant work of art. Kathy Bates is marvellous as Annie Wilkes, the 'number one fan' of Paul Sheldon (James Caan) who takes him into her cabin for refuge after he's injured in a car accident. The fact he got into an automobile accident in a blizzard is the lest of his problems, as it's gradually revealed that Annie is a psychotic, obsessive sort who is prone to the most abrupt changes of mood from cheery to chilling, and often involving violence...I won't say anything more, apart from watch it. Apart from Bates, Caan is equally great in a mostly reactive role, Richard Farnsworth has a lovely supporting turn as the local sherrif, and above all the most underrated MVP's might be Rob Reiner's direction and William Goldman's screenplay which do wonders in slowly, but steadily ramping up the tension to that crazily intense finale.

1. The Green Mile

Well here it is. My favourite Stephen King film encompasses so well a lot of the things I just adore about films, not just Stephen King films, but films in general. First off, like Shawshank it just so effortlessly draws the audience into the day to day life of confinement, this time into both prisoners on death row, and the correction officers who oversee them. Frank Darabont and his production team once again do a great job with all the technical aspects of the film and help navigate this unique, dark but also very moving film through the tricky waters of genre bending.

Now what I think trumps this film over Shawshank firstly, is its ensemble. You have Tom Hanks at the front, in one of those roles that're just tailor-fit to his talents, Paul Edgecomb the leading officer (and Dabs Greer as the 'present-day' Paul is also great too, but I won't get into too much about that). He delivers a great leading performance that helps hold the film together, and with his understated approach allows all the other supporting players of the film flourish, which include (takes deep breath):

As Paul's wife, Bonnie Hunt doesn't have a lot to do but is so sweet and endearing, but also displays such tenderness that works incredibly well for the film's finale.

The prison guards played by David Morse (not an intimidating brute for once but a kind-hearted one), Barry Pepper, and Jeffrey DeMunn who display great camaraderie and emotional power in the right moments.

Doug Hutchinson as another prison guard, but a not-so-nice one (that's an understatement) who you just love to hate, but also gives a convincing portrayal of the weak, insecure little man hiding beneath his hateful exterior.

Perhaps an even more reprehensible character, Sam Rockwell's brief but amazing turn as William 'Wild Bill' Wharton, and Rockwell is great in pulling out all the stops in making Wharton the vile, lowdown scumbag, possibly the worst in the film. He's at first very entertaining, than gradually becomes incredibly disturbing...

Michael Jeter as another death row inmate, Del, is also amazing in bringing so much to a small, potentially throwaway role, and makes his friendship with a little mouse named Mr Jingles resonate so well, without ever compromising the criminal background of the character, and his final scene is incredibly moving which makes his subsequent exit all the more disturbing (I won't post a video to the scene, it's so disturbing, but when you check out the film be warned, it's heartwrenching).

Harry Dean Stanton in an incredibly, incredibly, incredibly small role is an absolute hoot and I love how in a film with so much darkness his presence as a rather uncouth, rambunctious prison janitor, enlivens it with some well-needed humour.

Gary Sinise pops up for a cameo + Forrest Gump reunion with Hanks as a Southern lawyer and is impressively incisive with about 5 minutes of screentime...

James Cromwell is an incredibly assured, noble presence as the chief warden of the prison, pretty much the diametric opposite of Bob Gunton in the equivalent position in The Shawshank Redemption.

And as his wife,  Patricia Clarkson is an absolute knockout, giving possibly my second favourite performance in the film as a woman consumed by a brain tumour, which is dealt with in one of the best scenes in the film.

And of course, Michael Clarke Duncan as John Coffey, the beating heart of the film. I don't really know what to say about Mr Duncan's performance here. He's perfectly cast from a physical point of view as the gentle giant who somehow gets framed for the murder of two young girls, and how he gradually reveals the mystery behind this man and the film's supernatural side of things is beautiful. Beautiful. That's the word I'll use to surmise Mr Duncan's performance. R.I.P indeed.

'I's afraid of the dark'. Heartbreaking.