THE DEAD ZONE **

A Stephen King adaptation worthy of taking its place next to Kubrick's "The Shining", this one directed by the estimable David Cronenberg in a manner more straightforward than we were used to at the time. Christopher Walken, (excellent), is the young schoolteacher who awakens out of a five year coma only to discover he has the ability to see a person's future, (or their past), simply by grasping their hand; needless to say, the futures he sees aren't always rosy.

Although it's a tale of the supernatural, King and Cronenberg keep the suspense on a very basic level with a strong degree of moral ambiguity thrown in for good measure helped, not just by Walken's performance, but by a fine supporting cast that includes Brooke Adams, Tom Skerritt, Herbert Lom and a terrific Martin Sheen as the kind of politician who should never be allowed to run for public office. Perhaps because its horrors are subdued, (both by King and Cronenberg standards), the film isn't really seen much now but it remains a superior example of its kind and is worth seeing.