Probably David Cronenberg's most conventional film, and thus my least favorite from his so far. (I've been having a marathon catching up on him, I can't believe it's taken me this long because the guy is fucking aces.) That said it's great to see Christopher Walken play a normal guy for once, and Martin Sheen plays a very believable scumbag who reminds me quite a lot of a certain plant-named politician. "The missiles are flying... Hallejulah!" The film takes quite awhile to really get going, and structurally I wish the last ten minutes had been the entire last third. Really, this is great evidence as to how David Cronenberg has massively improved as a director in that he's learned how to remove the excess from his films and really streamline them to be ferociously paced.

It's pretty faithful to the novel, thematically if not narratively, and it's solidly acted, written, and directed, but it's just so dry. It's very subtle and low-key and oh-so boring. There's snippets of the traditional Cronenbergian visuals (the scissors in the bathtub.... ergh) but large sections of the film are just Walken sitting around, moping. There's also no real flow between the stories - which is a problem with the novel, but still - and thus the climax comes a bit too soon, but Walken is great and Martin Sheen is an enjoyable caricature. Still, it's no fun to watch.

My only gripe is that it felt rather slight, almost like it should've been an episode of a Stephen King's mysteries! tv series that only lasts an hour or so, rather than a full-length movie.

But I rather enjoyed it. I thought Walken's performance really held the movie together, you really believed his struggle and emotional dilemma. It's never outstanding enough to be a classic or anything, but it's a nice little King tale.

3.5/5