Dolan's Cadillac (2009) User Reviews

An excellent rendition of a good Stephen King story on revenge and determination.

[sarav2009 · 7/10 · 5 July 2009]

The movie is certainly worth a watch.It is the tale of a revenge seeking spouse's determined efforts to kill an almost untouchable criminal.It is based on a short story by Stephen King.There are a few changes,but it is true to the original story and the few changes in the story are effective.

The movie could be worth a rating of 9 or 9.5 if not for the first 15 to 20 minutes of the the movie.Emmanuelle Vaugier's dialogs are really bad and her acting is not great either.Wes Bentley as the protagonist was disappointing for the first 20 minutes but he is excellent thereafter as a determined,disoriented revenge-seeking monster. Christian Slater makes a lasting impact every time he is on the screen.

The music,editing,dialogs(barring the first few minutes),cinematography and performances are pretty good. Though the first 20 minutes of the movie are not noteworthy the last 20 minutes are in complete contrast and stand out.

Good for what it lacks, as much as what it has

[info-5111 · 6/10 · 17 July 2009]

The harmless school teacher Robinson (Bentley) seeks revenge on a cold and greedy crook (Slater) who had his wife killed. The plot is familiar, the details of the revenge rather ingenious.

This is actually a rather solid and effective chiller, based on Stephen King's memorable short story. Instead of adding countless new themes in an effort to show the audience that they are not "merely" making a horror flick, the filmmakers have added scenes that actually foreshadow and strengthen the ending.

This hardly classifies it as a classic, but I found surprisingly little to gripe about and actually one or two additions that I found impressive. Christian Slater seems to be enjoying his part without turning it into camp and Besley manages to convey some real human emotions without seeming to reach for the Oscars. In this sort of (short) movie, restraint is just as important as ideas, seeing as how countless thrillers just go overboard on a desperate quest for "impact".

The cinematography and sound engineering stand up to scrutiny and the minor parts are well executed. In short, this one works.

Dolan really had a Cadillac !!!

[xxTusharxx · 7/10 · 14 July 2009]

I liked this movie. Though its not a brilliant movie that blows your mind away, this still is a good watch. Its not the usual revenge flick with lotsa action and nothing more. This movie had originality in showing the revenge seeked by a husband whose wife got murdered by criminals because she was a witness of murders in a desert. I liked the way our hero was not shown as a superman who just walks and throws people away as if they were pieces of rough paper. This man is a normal guy who is scared of criminals but still wants revenge. He gets defeated by the villain quite a few number of times, but still does not give up. Realizing he can't win over them by just using guns and trying to kill them, he hatches a plan to seek revenge. And boy, what a method it was !! This movie really has one of the best climax in recent times. And the last scene is one of the most original scene I have seen in a long long time. Of course you know what would happen in the end but still you would like to watch it. Definitely recommended !!!

Not the best adaptation of Stephen King... but not the worst

[Wizard-8 · 17 May 2010]

I feel I should start the review by saying whether I had previously read the Stephen King short story before watching this movie. As a matter of fact, I had. I didn't find it one of his better stories, namely because the story early on reveals exactly what the protagonist is planning, and subsequently does it. No surprises or twists. The screenplay for this movie does fix this, not revealing what the protagonist is planning until it happens (though there are a few hints along the way.) However, the screenplay does still have some flaws. It runs too long, a pitfall many movies adapted from short stories have. There are many scenes with Dolan that don't seem necessary. And there are some plot holes, like how the protagonist got Dolan's cell phone number.

Another flaw is with Slater. He tries REALLY hard, enough that he deserves an "A" for effort. But he's still the last person you'd imagine to be a gangster. Had someone older and more weathered been in his role, I think the movie would have worked better.

Still, there is some merit to be found. The production values are really good - this is one shot-in-Canada movie that actually manages to make you think it was shot in the United States. And the last half hour of the movie is very good, tense and gripping. If you can't find a better movie, and have the patience to sit through a so-so first hour for a really good last half hour, then I would recommend this movie.

Excellent B movie

[searchanddestroy-1 · 7/10 · 26 April 2022]

It is really rare to have Christian Slater in such a nasty character role, and it is even more interesting to watch it out. It evokes the problem of illegal migrants and the business which is correlated to it. And stories where the lead character, especially a well know actor, is the evil dude of the story - TERMINATOR, COLLATERAL, M, UNHINGED - this kind of schemes have always interested me; an evil guy is always more interesting than a good one. In this movie, directing is pretty good for a B picture, Stephen King or not Stephen King. No length, only excitment and thrills. If you had seen THEY CAME TO ROB LAS VEGAS, a 1968 crime flick, also taking place in the vicinity of LV, you will notice some common elements with this one.

The Arc of Descent

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 5 September 2010]

In Las Vegas, the school teachers Robinson (Wes Bentley) and his wife Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier) are trying to have a baby. While riding a horse through the desert after hours, Elizabeth witnesses the execution of two coyotes and an illegal immigrant by the human trafficker Jimmy Dolan (Christian Slater) and she decides to report to the police. However, she loses her cellular and Dolan tracks her address and threatens her. Elizabeth goes to the FBI with Robinson and they move to a safe house under the protection of two agents. When Elizabeth sneaks from the house to buy pregnancy tests, her car explodes and she dies. The disturbed Robinson decides to buy a powerful revolver and learn how to shoot to revenge Elizabeth killing Dolan. But the mobster and his henchman find him in a bar and beat up on him. Robinson goes to the rock bottom of his life but he retrieves and plots a sophisticated revenge.

"Dolan's Cadillac" is a dark tale of revenge based on a short story of Stephen king. Christian Slater is a great sadistic villain but unfortunately Wes Bentley with his wooden expression and Emmanuelle Vaugier with her cynical smile are not convincing in their roles of school teachers that have their lives destroyed due to the sequence of stupid attitudes of Elizabeth. Anyway, movies about revenge are usually engaging and this one is above average. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sede de Vingança" ("Thirsty of Revenge")

Unremarkable in every way

[Enchorde · 4/10 · 6 January 2010]

Recap: Life is looking good for Robinson and his fiancée Elizabeth. But one day everything changes. Elizabeth is out riding in the hills and witnesses the brutal murders of a whole group of young women by trafficking mobster Dolan. Dolan is known for getting rid of all competition and threats but Elizabeth is determined to witness. Despite getting protection from the FBI Dolan manages to murder her and Robinson goes on a quest for revenge. But Dolan's car, a Cadillac, is a fortress in itself, armored and bulletproof, so Robinson must think of something special.

Comments: A rather bad movie that actually is rather hard to put into a genre. It got a little action but not enough to make it an action. It is probably supposed to be a thriller, but it doesn't got much of suspense. And it certainly isn't a romance, comedy or drama. It got a little of everything, but it is nothing in the end.

The story is very simple and divided into three parts. First, the setup. Show the happy couple, kill the girl and give proper motivation for Robinson's quest. Then, the plot. This is where Robinson plans his special revenge, which plays out by him working as a road-worker. Not very exciting at all. And last, the revenge. Which is not very exciting either, because it is very single sided. Oh, I'm sure Robinson got a kick out of it, but to watch it. Nah.

Unfortunately, but not very surprising, the acting is nothing to remember either. Well, I suppose there wasn't much to do with the material at hand, but still. The cast is mostly unknown, to me at least, with the exception of Slater. I have higher expectations on him, although his recent work doesn't promise much. Vaugier was the only one that showed some promise, and I hope she gets another shot.

In conclusion, not a good movie, but not too bad either. Nothing to remember, and there are many better movies out there.

4/10

Not bad, but not great

[dastaten · 6/10 · 9 August 2009]

This was a "straight to DVD" and it shows. The dialogue ranges from OK to pretty bad at times, the acting is nothing special but acceptable, and the directing is mediocre. I almost turned the movie off 30 minutes into it, but I'm a big Stephen King fan, so I thought I'd stick it out. It actually picks up and gets more interesting about halfway through. It's still not fantastic, but the second half has a satisfying Edgar Allan Poe twist to it and is fairly entertaining.

If you are a major fan of Stephen King and/or Edgar Allan Poe and you're short of new movies to watch, give Dolan's Cadillac a shot. If you're still watching when you hit the halfway point, you'll surely enjoy the rest even more.

The mind of Stephen King is a terrible thing to waste.

[dunmore_ego · 3/10 · 18 July 2010]

The director of DOLAN'S CADILLAC, Jeff Beesley, was told by his agent, "If you can't knock this movie outta the park, you might as well forget it - go back to pumping gas." Uh, Jeff, I got some bad news....

From a Stephen King short story of the same name (from the 1993 collection, Nightmares and Dreamscapes), screenwriter Richard Dooling misses the point completely and somehow thinks he can improve on a writing legend's plot elements - much like the rewriters of THE SOUND OF THUNDER (2005) had the brass balls to think they could improve on a Ray Bradbury story. DOLAN'S CADILLAC - a straight-to-DVD release - is another great Stephen King story wasted onto the small screen.

Robinson (Wes Bentley) and wife Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier) are a regular Las Vegas couple, whose life is upended when Elizabeth witnesses human-trafficker Dolan (Christian Slater) execute people in the Nevada desert. Dolan has her killed. Robinson gets revenge in a very unique, exacting way.

Dolan is chauffered around in a bulletproof Cadillac as fortified as a tank. In the short story, Robinson uses this fact to entomb Dolan in a highway grave, the first person narrative pathologically taking us through the meticulous life-planning and interesting physics of devising the trap. In the book, the "arc of descent" becomes a blueprint for Robinson's subterranean trap and a metaphor for his psychological and physical deterioration. While in the movie, the arc of descent is something that Dolan pulls out of thin air while standing at a pee trough. Was that the writer's subliminal message to us?: I'm URINATING ALL OVER STEPHEN KING!

King's characters are efficiently made two-dimensional by leaden Wes Bentley (whose terrifically vapid performance in GHOST RIDER must have scored him this role) and Christian Slater, getting drunk on Jack (Nicholson, not Daniels). The highway trap is merely a flat drop covered with tarpaulin. No science required.

In trying to extend King's story to movie length, instead of inserting all those interesting master plan elements, which would have drawn out the time compellingly, screenwriter Dooling puts in banalities: Robinson buying a Dirty Harry gun, Dolan extending his trafficking to children, Chinese mobsters, an FBI guy (Al Sapienza from THE SOPRANOS) and loads of black mascara for Wes Bentley in lieu of acting.

To hear director Beesley speak of his filmic debacle in the DVD Featurette is to wonder whether he has ever viewed his own film: "...extremely entertaining... a great ride... a Saturday night popcorn movie..." And here's the one that made peanuts fly out of my nose: "At its heart it's very much an art film." Choke. Gasp. Bwohahahahahaha!

King's story was an homage to Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado in subtle, disturbing ways; story described in detail how Dolan's highway grave could never be discovered. Beesley's movie gives us a scene of Robinson shifting a final stone slab into place over Dolan's screaming face, for the sole reason to echo Poe's (and King's) words, "For the love of God, no!" But this final homage is Beesley's final illogical mistake. The manner in which Beesley's trap is built is rife for discovery by authorities; the final stupid stone over Beesley's own face.

Poe and King have assured themselves their places in history. Beesley has assured himself a career at the Shell Gas-N-Go.

Fill 'er up please, Jeff.

Christian Slater is a good bad guy

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 1 August 2014]

Robinson (Wes Bentley) and his wife Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier) are fellow school teachers. Elizabeth is horse riding in the desert and runs across human traffickers. The fans in the truck broke down killing some of the girls. Elizabeth witnesses gangster pimp Jimmy Dolan (Christian Slater) killing the drivers and one girl trying to escape. She rides away but loses her phone. The couple reports it to the police but he is uninterested in the illegals. They go home to find one of the dead girls in their bed and they go to the FBI. She's committed to testifying but is killed in a car bomb. Robinson falls into a deep depression and then aims to take revenge. Meanwhile Dolan is disagreeing on payment with the Snakeheads.

Christian Slater is chewing up the screen. He is a good bad guy. Wes Bentley has crazy eyes. He looks like he's permanently tense. It doesn't allow him to change his character's feelings and the character goes through a lot of changes. It's one of the big problems. The other problem is the general lack of production value. I assume it's due to a lower budget and won't fault the movie for it. It has the basis of a good psychological thriller but Wes is not able to deliver it completely.

Construction 101 meets "C" class production

[nateroofams · 1/10 · 1 July 2010]

I must start my review with the expression and/or term "WOW". The main thought with the the expression/term "WOW" is that this production receives a 5.7 vote. This score does not shock me since the production only has a meager amount of votes. Evidently the cast, producers, stage managers, costume designers, homeless people that take bribes, co-producers, and others involved in this film can vote.

I often sit at home and wonder how I can apply construction experience to the revenge on a murderer that took the life of a loved one. I then contemplate an elaborate scheme that has so many flaws that only a person in the industry could point out. Shame on Christian Slater (although I always enjoy his attempt to never change his haircut in the last two decades) and Stephen King for this nightmare idea based on his short story.

Many times on the job when I am working really hard I wonder how my face gets so dirty (not really, it is the 21st century...labor is over...if a machine can't do it, it doesn't get done). I then ponder why I am shovelling dirt (straticically staged in front of a backhoe) with such great effort one shovel at a time for hours...if not days while a perfectly capable machine is sitting there eager to reduce hours and days of work.

One of the many riveting parts of this masterpiece is a lesson. When trapped in a vehicle with overburden material being placed from above(soil in this case) and all four (4) sides of your Cadillac Escalade (2007 - 2010 model) trapped in a vertical hole approximately 10' deep rectangular with absolutely no vertical deficiencies and there is only one escape route (up) what do you do? A) shoot your fully loaded 9mm handgun out the window and through the roof with no hopes of hitting a target or improving your situation, B) choose to remain in the vehicle while being buried alive while using method (A) and screaming annoyingly, or C) put one shot through the moon/sun roof, carefully escape and continue a competitive gig in the prostitution ring of NV? My stomach churns with disgust. Honestly I was hoping for a "True Romance" performance from Christian and a "American Beauty" performance from Billy Badass, Aka - Construction Worker/School Teacher/Murderer/I ruined my acting career by not only accepting but following through with this role.

I applaud this films production and acting. This movie gives hope to everyone that thought creating a movie and acting in a movie was only for select individuals. Now we all know (if you've viewed this fantastic portrait of a poetic, classic and historic piece) that our childhood dreams are now not only possible but can easily surpass the the previous rendering that talents were preffered in the business.

i really enjoyed it. worth watching

[digital_accsses · 9/10 · 4 July 2009]

Just watched the movie a min ago, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. The story line is very good, and it keeps you hooked to it and wanting to get more out of it, but then all movies based on Stephen King's novels are. the acting was pretty decent as well, both lead actors played their role perfectly and I always saw that Christian Slater dose better roles as a villain, don't know he just have this evil look in him, The story was very real and without exaggeration, and it flows with the modern times that we are in, there is some action and some moments that just keep you on your feet. Some great lines and quotes are in there as well. Over all this is a pretty decant revenge movie, and I would recommend it to anyway who enjoys a good film.

A twisted story of vengeance with thrills , chills , violence and a tense final

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 14 March 2023]

A creepy tale of revenge belonging to a Stephen King's original short story from Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. This better than average sinister movie to come from a King short novel centering around the hero's tenuous grip on reality . Dealing with Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier) who's happily married to loving husband Robinson (Wes Bentley) . While horse riding through the desert one evening, she witnesses the execution of two coyotes and an illegal immigrant by the human trafficker Jimmy Dolan (Christian Slater) and decides to report the incident to the police. She gets a promise of protection by police chief (Al Sapienza) if she testifies against him . Then she is targeted by Dolan for knowing too much. Robinson thinks Dolan is too powerful and well connected to be stopped , so he takes justice on his own hands. Later on , the young husband attempts to seek to avenge his wife's death after she is murdered by the Las Vegas mobster. For him and his mission to make him pay for what he has done in the most terrible way possible.

More a thriller than an all-out terror , this picture packs tension , suspense , violence , exploitation and amazing conclusion .Bases on a Stephen King's story , the horror writer extraordinaire , he's a prolific writer , here dealing with a short tale set in Las Vegas, in which school teachers Robinson and his wife Elizabeth are trying for a baby , but things go wrong when she's killed . King has a library load of books to his credit and a fan base of fanatic's eager to purchase any piece that pours from his platinum pen . Quite obviously many of his books have inspired movie adaptations, however surprisingly the transformation from page to cinema has not always been a successful one. Scanning a list of films based on King's work which features about 120 writing credits , there is a mixture of masterpieces and others mediocre , flops or stinkers . On the one hand we have horror classics like Carrie, The Shinning, Misery and The Mist . And on the other hand , B-movies , blowouts or failures films such as Thinner, Maximum Overdrive, The Tommyknockers, Dreamcatcher , Running Man and The Langoliers. And Hollywood keeps buying up the rights to more of Stephen King's stories other directors could take . Casting is frankly decent, originally schemed to be played by Sylvester Stallone , in ¨Dolan's Cadillac¨ stands out Christian Slater as a Vegas crime lord who deals in human trafficking. After a shipment of girls goes wrong, he ends up killing half his cargo in the desert. Slater's scoundrel Dolan is the essential centre of the film, equal parts spitting out provoking soliloquies in Shakespearian style as well as sharp suited sleaziness and easily as swear words . While Wes Bentley is acceptable as teacher Robinson who's driven by vengeance and desperate for retribution, as Robinson spirals into madness consumed by his hatred and Wes does a solid job creating a character both sympathetic and slightly insane at the same time. And Emmanuelle Vaugier is nice as the beautiful wife who is witness an unceremonious execution resulting in fateful consequences.

The motion picture was professionally shot by director Jeff Beesley, who learnt his trade making TV shows, spinning a stylish and sisnister yarn with a surprising climax .Jeff Beesley is one of Canada's most exciting young filmmakers. With his unique cinematic vision, Jeff has achieved International acclaim for his body of work. His productions have screened at some of the world's most prestigious festivals and have won dozens of awards. Rating : 6/10 . Chilling climax this film offers something different with a good cast and a solid script which will have you absorbed from start to finish.

Above average revenge film with a great plot.

[DanLives1980 · 5/10 · 27 May 2014]

I didn't need to see this movie. I don't think anybody did, but I read the short story many times over the years. It's one of my favourite Nightmares and Dreamscape shorts from Stephen King and I was intrigued to see how they stretched the plot to make it into a feature length film! You don't need a synopsis from me, not on IMDb. Jimmy Dolan is a criminal living and operating out of Las Vegas. When keeping his nose clean means dispatching of Robinson's wife, it destroys his life and leads him to act out on the urge for revenge as the authorities fails to pin the crime on Dolan and his goons.

What I liked about the King story was that there was nothing to like about any of the characters, all but Tinker. He wrote it from Robinson's perspective and it was nothing short of psychopathic, which is refreshing compared to most revenge stories.

In the movie, the likability factor pretty much stays the same, but the makers seem to have made a point of giving Dolan and his crew all the entertainment value and most of the screen time. Personally, I'd have watched an hour and a half of Robinson planning and executing his revenge trip, but we're given snippets of him going through his trauma and falling apart and, sorry to say, it bored me.

Wes Bentley has never been one to watch, for me at least. It might just be the angry kid scowl permanently etched into his face, but here he does a great job and pulls off some very natural but often overlooked acting.

Christian Slater is just Christian Slater as always. I'm not saying he's incapable of acting because he puts some great energy into his role, but he's one of those actors that isn't cut out for defining different personalities. His face is incapable of change, it seems.

The most important part of the movie, now that my problems are out of the way, is Bentley's Robinson giving up school to join the road crew in the Nevada desert. That's when King's storytelling really transfers well, and the addition of Tink and Danny really add texture to this film's character.

The revenge plot itself and how Robinson goes through with it are superb. I found myself smiling most of the way through it and feeling satisfied by the end credits. Odd that a film can be so generic and run-of-the-mill until the final half hour blows you away, right? If you ever give it a try, read the story first and just skip to the end, that's my advice!

Simply tale made somewhat confusing due to poor delivery

[RickHarvey · 17 July 2011]

Having read the short story by Stephen King before viewing this film, i can clearly confirm that for anyone who is hoping for a faithful adaption, you may find yourself in two half's.

The film itself is average. The pacing at the start is spot on and the story should be intriguing enough for you wanting more. This said, I watched this film with a companion and unlike me, he hasn't read the story. I'm not going to moan about how the film isn't better than the book cause it's never is but what i will say is that my friend must of got confused during the final parts.

The main character, Robinson, takes up a job on the highways to get a grip of the machinery which he'll be using to execute his plan. This also involves him creating a illusionary canvas and setting up a false detour. I know all this because i've read the book, however, the film does such a awful job showing the characters emotions and there purposes that i'll warn you not to get upset when you find yourself lost.

Long story short, film is a mess. Bently at times was laughable, Slater had no swagger and Robinson's Partner was idiotic. I dunno, i loved the story but even if had never read it before setting eyes on the film, it wouldn't of made much difference.

Undemanding adaptation of a simple story

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 22 December 2012]

When his wife is killed by mobster Dolan after she witnessed him committing murder, grief-stricken Robinson hatches a plan to exact retribution. You see, Dolan regularly drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and sometimes there are roadworks...

Dolan's Cadillac is one of Stephen King's simplest short stories, lovingly crafted around a number of technical issues the answers to which were supplied to him by his big brother. Those technicalities are not necessary in the film - what happens happens, we see it but we don't need to know exactly how - and, instead, other aspects of the story are amplified (and, indeed, added). The main story beats remain consistent, however.

Christian Slater treads a fine line between inhuman urbanity and crazed loon as Dolan's fate unfolds. Wes Bentley is fine as the grieving and somewhat unhinged Robinson, and Emmanuelle Vaugier is adequate as the doomed Elizabeth.

This film passes the time but is otherwise fairly unmemorable.

A dissent psycho thriller, not bad at all

[tsanev · 7/10 · 3 July 2009]

A dissent psycho thriller, not bad at all… What we have here is Stephen King novel made movie. And we have not a typical Stephen King story. Nothing is out of the ordinary, nothing is so-o-o-o-o scary… Story unfolds, the rhythm and paste is fast, climax is logical, everything comes to its place... Emmanuelle Vaugier is beautiful and her Elizabeth is believable as a character. Christian Slater is very good, being bad-bad guy as "Dolan". His Cadillac is for real and takes center stage trough the entire film. I guess those ware some of the last advertiser's dollars GM used to spend before the bankruptcy… Music and sound editing is up to the level supporting the thriller suspense of this entire story. It could be one of many typical crime dramas that you forget 5 minutes after the final credits, but here we have something to remember. Dolan's Cadillac lives impressions in one's mind, makes you think, "What would I do, if I was there…" Well, making you think is the goal of every art including the art of cinema.

Do NOT waste your time

[cairnsyboy22 · 3/10 · 9 July 2009]

This is really hard for me to do,as Christian Slater is my favourite actor,but this movie was,well terrible.

As well as being a Slater fan,i also like Stephen King,but this really disappoints,It starts off with Jimmy Dolan killing a couple of immigrant's,as he is a trafficker and burying them alive in the Nevada desert,whilst being watched by a school teacher played by Emmanuele Vaugier(check spelling),so Dolan order's her death,she is put into protective custody along with her partner,Wes Bentley,she ends up dead and Bentley goes on the hunt for revenge,he has numerous opportunities but fails to take them,the same being said for Slater,who also has the opportunity to get rid of Bentley,but makes a mistake by not doing so.

I only gave it a 3 because Slaters performance was good enough,but i'm sorry to all Wes Bentley fans,as i get angry when people slag Slater,but this guy really can't act,the last 10 minutes of the film,he gets a pass from me,but up until then,he is like a lump of wood,again,i apologise for being negative about him,but in this movie,he deserves it.

I beg you not to watch this,even if your a Slater fan.

Tight little thriller with some unsettling, memorable elements, worth seeing once.

[lemon_magic · 7/10 · 17 February 2016]

Locked as it is in the "Stephen King adaptation" genre, this movie had little chance of being more than a workmanlike piece of suspense, but it is well done and gets lots of little details right.

Bentley and Slater are, of course, the real reasons to watch this movie, and they really get into their roles and make you believe they are their characters. That's a little more impressive with Slater, of course, since he once was a "A" list celebrity, but you have to respect the craft and intelligence of the two actors, and it's obvious the director knew how to get what he wanted out of them.

The story itself is a neat, satisfying little revenge fantasy with a good visual setup. One caution: this one builds quite slowly, and you might find the first 30 minutes or so a bit dull. But the first part of the screenplay sets things up quite nicely for the payoff,and it is quite a payoff.

Glad I picked this one up for a remaindered price - if I had paid the usual "new" copy price when it came out, I still would have been happy.

Despicable

[howardrbarnett · 1/10 · 31 July 2017]

Spoiler alert: the movie is pretty much nothing but gratuitous violence. Do yourself a favor and watch something fun. (Didn't realize this was based on a Steven king story, now that you know, you know a little more of what to expect, I didn't.)

The problem with gratuitous violence themes is they can be sickening as they create the necessary angst to get you rooting for a bad end for the bad guy, as this one does. Although not terribly graphically gross, the theme is sickening; the antagonist is sufficiently repugnant to get one's contempt. And from there the story follows a predictable line: what will our protagonist do to get revenge. What he does is as unlikely as it is uncreative. In the end, as usual, antagonist suffers a relatively short lasting demise as payback for - as usual, our protagonist's story-long suffering. ...and one which is, as mentioned, difficult to fathom: (protagonist has, as usual in these types of movies, an unrealistic amount of time and resources to pull off his revenge ploy)

Dark crime thriller from the mind of Stephen King

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 25 May 2019]

This was a film that I was intrigued to check out as I am a big Stephen King fan. This was an interesting short story and when I saw that they made a film adaptation, I put it on my Netflix list. It took some time to getting around to seeing it, but finally did. The synopsis is a young man attempts to seek to avenge his wife's death after she is murdered by a Las Vegas mobster.

We start this off seeing our main character, Robinson (Wes Bentley), wearing torn up gloves and screaming. It also gives us a bit of voice-over narration from him about how much he hates Dolan (Christian Slater) and how evil he is.

It then shifts us to his life. Robinson is married to Elizabeth (Emmanuelle Vaugier). They are both teachers at the same school. The two of them are also trying to have a baby and it has been unsuccessfully thus far. She tells him that he will have to worry about his dinner that night as she is going to go horseback riding after school.

This is intercut with Dolan who is a human trafficker. He has a couple of Hispanic men with a panel truck bringing a bunch of women. One of them is upset and starts banging on the fan system. This causes it short circuit. When they arrive at their destination, many of them have died due to the heat and the air not circulating. Dolan arrives and takes care of the drivers. One of the women tries to flee, but he takes care of her as well. Elizabeth sees this and Dolan along with Chief (Greg Bryk) and Delta (Karen LeBlanc) see her. Elizabeth also drops her phone.

She goes to the local police who can't do anything for her. It is when they go home to find the dead girl who tried to flee, made into a message. They go to the FBI with what happened. They meet with Fletcher (Al Spaienza) and it is decided that Elizabeth and Robinson will go into witness protection until she can testify. It doesn't happen as fast as they thought and it comes to a tragic end for Elizabeth when she is excited and tries to use their car.

Robinson goes into a downward spiral of depression. He is haunted by visions of his wife. He follows Dolan, learning his routine. He buys a gun and decides he will take care of his evil man himself. When he has a run in with him and is humiliated, Robinson comes up with a different plan. One that involves joining the road crew fixing the highway that Dolan takes from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on a regular basis.

To get into his review, I do have to say, from what I remember about the short story, this adaptation does a solid job of hitting all of the plot points and just adding in some filler that helps to deepen the story. So for those reading this that have read the story, it does end pretty much the way the story does, but I think it is pretty satisfying in that regards.

The next thing to touch on is that I wasn't necessarily sure if this was horror or not. For most of the film I thought that it wasn't. It really is a crime thriller. What really changed my mind though is what Robinson goes through in his descent to madness. He is out to avenge his wife as the synopsis says. The film though actually has her as a specter that he sees in his grief. She is actually burned up and he is seeing her that way. He is also visited by the girl in a dream that was left in their bed. This is an interesting horror element that is used quite a bit, but I do enjoy seeing people as they deal with grief.

Something else that is a horror element is Dolan and what happens to him. He is a typical mobster who deals in human trafficking. That makes him despicable. Robinson talks about him being pure evil, which I don't necessarily think is the case. I do have to say that the fate that befalls him though. Robinson does torture him in a sense, which is good to see him get that kind of revenge. Personally, I'm glad he did, but I like that the film blurs the line of who is a monster and who isn't with what happens.

This next brings me to the pacing of the film. I didn't have any issues here aside from I do think that the film has issues building tension. Part of this is that the build up isn't necessarily exciting. It is sad to see what happens to Elizabeth and seeing Robinson descend into madness. It established how horrible Dolan is, but part of the film is the couple hiding out and then Robinson deciding as well as setting up what to do. I do like the ending though. I do also have to bring up, there is some really good writing with things that are shown early in the film that allude to what is going to happen at the climax. I caught these knowing the story, but it really is a good touch for multiple viewings if you don't initially.

Next would be the acting, which is pretty solid. Slater has a perfect kind of arrogance to play the role of Dolan. He comes off as bastard, but he does have an odd charm about him as well. Vaugier was pretty good looking and I liked her was well. She really doesn't have a lot. Her best contribution is during the haunting scenes telling her husband what he has to do. Bentley is an actor I'm a fan of. He disappeared for a bit with some personal issues from acting, but he has such a dark look to him and I think he fit perfect for this role. The rest of the cast rounded out the film for what was needed as well.

As to the effects of the film, it really didn't need a whole lot. I don't recall any CGI, which is good. I know there was one practical effect of a broken bone. That didn't look all that real, especially where the bone is located. I would say that since the film went light on the effects, it doesn't hurt it as it really didn't need them. The film though is shot well and it does some good effects to help simulate Robinson and his mental state.

Now with that said, this is a solid adaptation of a lesser know King short story. Even though I wouldn't necessarily say this is a horror film, it definitely has some elements and I decided to write this up for that. I like the idea of a man, stricken by grief, descending into madness for vengeance. I feel bad for him and can't blame him for what he does. I think the pacing has issues as this is a story that is necessarily exciting. The acting though was solid. It is light on the effects, but I don't really have much issue there. The soundtrack didn't really stand out, but it also didn't hurt the film either. Overall I'd say this is slightly above average. If you like crime thrillers, I think this is one to check out.

Really Bad, and not in a good way.

[bob-rutzel-1 · 2/10 · 19 April 2010]

Robinson (Bentley) is out to kill Dolan (Slater) for killing wife Elizabeth (Vaugier)

This whole thing reeked of amateurs trying to act like professionals. Really bad. The dialogue suffered as did we all. I almost shut this down but wanted to see how Robinson, a 6th grade teacher, would take care of business with Dolan, a crime boss in Las Vegas. This should have been left as a short story by Stephen King.

It's the dialogue that made the actors look and sound like they were rehearsing lines. To be fair, the last third of the movie was better, but when you are scurrying around putting someone to death what was learned in acting class doesn't seem to help much. By the same token when you are the one being snuffed, the screaming and pleading almost seemed real enough, but what was learned in acting class doesn't seem to help much. I had no sympathy for the snuffer or the snufee. Maybe there were never any acting classes.

Now, what does the Cadillac have to do with all this? Well, Dolan practically lived in it and when Robinson was taking care of business, the Cadillac became a prime player.

Really bad.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No, but came close. Racial slurs: Yes. Language: Yes, non stop.

Better than I Thought

[invicta1313 · 8/10 · 3 June 2010]

As a lifelong reader of Stephen King, I got this on-sale-for-five-bucks-at-redbox movie expecting an epic flop. I didn't even realize they'd made a movie out of what is (I shiite thee not) one of my top 3 favorite Stephen King stories of all time, but I saw it had Christian Slater and Blackheart from Ghost Rider and...gravy.

Honestly, I bought the movie thinking that Slater was the protagonist, so imagine my shock when I found out he was playing Dolan. When I read the story as a kid, I think I imagined Dolan as more of a Robert DiNiro, Al Pacino or even Mickey Rourke. Given those biases, I really had a hard time buying Slater as Dolan. At first. However, I really saw him come into his own in those scenes where he's looking at the girls, the very end in the Caddy and some of his sleazier moments. Still, I think that Slater was a little too young-looking to portray a gangster.

I'll agree with most other reviewer's assertions that the last third was the best part. But I will add that even if the rest of the movie completely sucked, it was still worth it to see those two play out the final scene that Stephen King painted years ago. The scenes where Richardson stood screaming at his shredded gloves was right out of my imagination. Fantastic.

In short, I give about 15 minutes of this movie a 4 and the rest a 9, so it averages out to an eight. Definitely worth the $5 I paid for it by easily a factor of four.

Surprisingly not bad.

[mrglenngrant · 6/10 · 3 April 2022]

The latest in the Stephen KIng Adaptation Watch series offered a pretty good movie version of a short story that I remember liking. Obviously it lacked the detail of the story - which is always a shame - but Christian Slater and the guy from Yellowstone were good as the leads and it always helps when the acting is decent - if a little bit hammy in parts.

I was genuinely in suspense towards the end 'cos I was wondering whether they were going to 'Hollywood' the ending and let Dolan out to face trial. Thankfully not.

Loved the desert locations and scenery.

63/100.

Dolan's Cadallic Review

[john-6149 · 1/10 · 14 July 2009]

I do not want to get into too much detail about this movie, as it does not deserve that much time, however I do want to say this; THIS MOVIE SUCKS! Personally, I like Christian Slater and Wes Bentley but nothing could save this movie from the dreadful screen adaptation and directing. The movies first 30 minutes were so bad that I would not even give it the honor of having B movie status and the rest was so poorly acted due to the directing that you just wanted to shut the thing off. This movie will never make it to the big screen in the US, nor will most foreign markets entertain such horribly bad film making. The story was written by Stephen King and is a decent short story but about revenge but the only revenge should be on the audience wanting an hour and a half of their life back. (Important: Some movies are bad because the actors are bad, in this case the actors are bad because of the directing and not due to lack of skill.)