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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Dolby, Digital Audio, English, Dolby Digital (5.1), Dolby Surround Sound
Christopher Walken stars in this tense, gripping screen adaptation of Stephen King's best-selling novel, The Dead Zone. One fateful night, Johnny Smith (Walken) smashes head-on into an enormous truck. For five long years, Johnny is plunged into a deep coma. When he awakens, he discovers that his youth, his career and his fiancŽe, Sara (Brook Adams) have all been lost. But Johnny has gained something--extraordinary psychic powers allowing him to see visions of the past, present and future. In episode after episode, Johnny is propelled into horror-filled supernatural experiences. Desperately, Johnny seeks seclusion, but a moral decision must be made--should he use his powers to change the future of mankind? Martin Sheen gives a chilling portrayal as a sinister, psychotic Senator hopeful aspiring to the U.S. Presidency.
Editor's Note
David Cronenberg's first foray into mainstream filmmaking is also one of his most satisfying pictures. Adapted from a Stephen King novel, it stars Christopher Walken as Johnny, a man who has been in a coma for five years and wakes up to realize that he can tell a person's fate just by touching them. Realizing that he can change the future as well, Johnny soon gets 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 US (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.
| Features | French Dolby Digital Mono | | Enhanced For 16X9 TV | | English 5.1 Surround Dolby Digital | | English Dolby Digital Surround | | Interactive Menus | | Theatrical Trailer | | Scene Access |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 9/19/2000 |
| Running Time: 104 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1983 | | Catalog ID: 016464 | | UPC: 00097360164640 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...Cronenberg's most accomplished film so far, created with flair, fluency and welcome understatement..." 03/01/1984 p.150New York Times
"...A sad, sympathetic and unsettling movie, quietly forceful....Cronenberg's direction is vivid and effective..." 10/21/1983 p.C8 Variety
"...An accomplished psychological thriller....[Cronenberg] gets some appealing performances....Walken links each episode together quite well, accurately conveying the character's growing mental, physical and emotional anguish..." 10/12/1983 USA Today
"...With its small-town milieu, lots of snow and supernatural mayhem, THE DEAD ZONE is one of the better Stephen King movie adaptations..." 09/29/2000 p.11E Total Film
"...[A] quietly effective Stephen King thriller..." 11/01/2000 p.118 |
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