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The Dead Zone (1983)

Director: David Cronenberg

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1 review

Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

After a long coma, school teacher Walken wakes up with psychic powers (but no girlfriend). Depending on your point of view, this is either Cronenberg's most progressive, humanist movie (pace Robin Wood), or one of his least personal, most conventional pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, and produced by Dino De Laurentiis, it's well crafted and atmospheric, with an arresting central character (Walken in one of his most sympathetic and controlled performances), but the episodic plot strands don't really mesh. In the most striking, the teacher unmasks a serial killer; in another he prevents a young boy from drowning; and in yet another his path crosses with a single-minded politician (Sheen). Cronenberg pulls it off, but you can't help feeling it's a movie in search of a TV series.

Author: TCh 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide


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User reviews of this film

  • Marie said...
    Posted on Nov 06 2007 05:10 The Dead Zone is one of my all time favorite films! The acting is superb and Cronenburg brings this dark drama to the screen in such a way that the television serial cannot.
    For those who have read the novel by King, the movie's seemingly wandering plot line will fall into place and leave you wondering why anyone in their right mind thought of making it into a tv series.
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