Misery
Reviewed By : AVL

Release Year : 1990

Directed By : Rob Reiner

Written By : Stephen King, William Goldman

Starring : James Caan, Kathy Bates, Richard Farnsworth

Related Links : IMDB

 

Obsession is a strange and dangerous form of madness. When Annie Wilkes, number 1 fan of Paul Sheldon, the writer of the "Misery Chastaine" series of romantic novels gets a chance to get some one on one time with him, she's gonna show just how dangerous that obsession can be. Paul has a little accident in the wilderness, and Annie was a nurse - fate brings them together, making him prisoner to a ruined body and a crazed carer. He's just finished the latest Misery novel - will Annie love it, or will it be a stepping stone to yet more madness and psychological torture as crazy Annie attempts to steer him towards an ending she prefers?

It's another Stephen King adaptation, and I'm a big King fan as anyone reading reviews on d3rang3d will already know; plus it's another of those intimate tales, a small horror, with few characters, the type of King story that seems to work best on screen, the ones that I prefer.

And, boy, does this one work.

Kathy Bates as crazed fan/nurse Annie is absolutely brilliant, she slots into the maniac role well, delivering maniacal lines that'll in turns have ya laughing, scared, wondering what madness she is about to indulge in next. There's just something about the way she plays it, it's classic, no wonder that she won a well deserved Oscar for the portrayal. I challenge you to watch this and then not see her face every time someone says "you dirty bird" ;)

James Caan as Paul Sheldon is great too, he takes the role of caged victim to anothers madness perfectly, he's looking for ways to escape both mentally and physically, his spirit will not be broken even if his body can be. Annie will certainly do her best to break both his body and spirit though, she may be a little simple in her normal life but she's blessed with a creative temper and innovative ability to inflict pain.

The interplay between these two leads is really excellent, they feed off of eachother, on screen the tension crackles and sparks, the fear and madness is brought into your living room, nay, into your heart. Although you'll be rooting for Paul, hating Annie will be hard - she's all too human a crazy, not the cold staple diet of the maniac movie, she's much more vulnerable than that, it's her weakness and not her strength that is the source of her craziness. Even her domination is sourced in insecurity, weakness appears as she commits the most terrible atrocities on poor Paul, father of her idol.

A great film, set apart by a strong story, powerful performances from both of the leads, and some scenes so well done that they'll be with you for a long time. Watch, enjoy, step into the world where crazy Annie Wilkes is queen and hope you emerge at least alive, if not unscathed.