Themes: Mothers and Sons, Ghosts, Haunted By the Past
Main Cast: Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Cliff Robertson, Barbara Hershey, Erika Christensen
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 98 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A young man who has flirted with death is forced to come to terms with mortality in this tale of terror based on a story by Stephen King. Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is a college student studying art at the University of Maine in 1969. Cursed with an over-active imagination, Alan constantly obsesses over the worst outcome of any situation, and when he begins to suspect his girlfriend, Jessica (Erika Christensen), is thinking of leaving him, it drives him to the brink of suicide. Shortly after this brush with death, Alan receives word that his mother, Jean (Barbara Hershey), has suffered a severe stroke and may not pull through. Alan grabs his jacket and hits the road, hoping to hitchhike the one hundred miles to the hospital. As it happens, Alan is trying to catch a ride on Halloween night, and after he's picked up by one George Staub (David Arquette), he realizes that he's riding the highway with a creature not of this Earth. Riding the Bullet was directed by Mick Garris, marking the fourth time the filmmaker has brought one of King's stories to the cinema or television screen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Much like most faithful Stephen King film interpretations, Riding the Bullet falters from its basic failure to be able to translate the fantastical elements of the horror scribe's prose. Director Mick Garris has a history with King, previously adapting the needless Shining TV mini-series, along with the cat suit monster flick Sleepwalkers and various other anthology series, all of which basically share that same fundamental weakness that pops up in most book-to-screen adaptations. Much like 2003's embarrassing flop Dreamcatcher, Garris does his best to try and pull off what can only be realized in the written form, but too often it just comes off awkward and forced. Take how he handles the inner monologues of the main character or the hallucinogenic dream sequences that get old far too soon for their own good. On the upside, the director does show a fun sense of style in some of the camera shots and the carefully selected music fits perfectly for the '60s-era road-trip vibe. The story follows some major deviations from the book, which purists will be sad to note even if they should be used to it by now. In the end, Garris misses the tone completely, making an otherwise frightful tale into a semi-comical show of style over substance. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Matt Frewer - Mr. Clarkson; Nicky Katt - Ferris; Howard Kaylan - Apple Man; Barry W. Levy - Julian Parker
Credit
Kristina Lyne - Art Director, Chad Marting - Associate Producer, Neal Ramer - Associate Producer, Julia Verdin - Casting, Bill Kravitz - Co-producer, Stephanie Nolan - Costume Designer, Mick Garris - Director, Marshall Harvey - Editor, Stephen King - Executive Producer, David Lancaster - Executive Producer, Jan Fantl - Executive Producer, Frank Hübner - Executive Producer, Jörg Westerkamp - Executive Producer, Nicholas Pike - Composer (Music Score), K.N.B. EFX Group - Makeup Special Effects, Andrew Deskin - Production Designer, Robert New - Cinematographer, Mick Garris - Producer, Brad Krevoy - Producer, David Lancaster - Producer, Vicki Sotheran - Producer, Frank Hübner - Producer, Joel T. Smith - Producer, Sebastian Salm - Sound/Sound Designer, Stephen King - Screen Story, Mick Garris - Screenwriter, Craig Weiss - Visual Effects Supervisor, Paul R. Cox - Visual Effects Supervisor, Ian Nothnagel - Set Decorator
Set in 1969, Alan Parker (Jackson) is a young artist, studying at the University of Maine. He becomes obsessed with death, and believing he is losing his girlfriend, Jessica (Christensen), he tries to commit suicide on his birthday. His friends surprise him and he cuts himself sending him to the hospital. He eventually recovers and decides to go with them to a John Lennon concert. Before leaving he receives news that his mother, Jean (Hershey), is in the hospital because of a stroke and is near death. Alan decides to hitchhike to reach the hospital before his only relative dies. On his way there, he has multiple strange encounters with the living and dead.
