Riding the Bullet (2004)

 

 

We go back to the mind of Stephen King for Riding the Bullet.  Riding the Bullet is a short story King released as an E-Book (first mass market E Book ever in fact) available for download back in 2000 for $2.50.  In 2002 the novella was included in his collection of short stories titled Everything is Eventual.  I don’t recall the story, but I know I’ve read everything King has published, although that’s not saying the story isn’t good, I just recall many other stories from the collection like The Little Sisters of Eluria (a Dark Tower short story), 1408 (which was made into a film of the same name), and Everything’s Eventual (containing characters connected to The Dark Tower series), are better stories.  But we’re not talking about the story here are we?  No, we are not, so let’s talk about the movie which is, uh-oh, directed by Mick Garris who has directed a bunch of King adaptations.  Probably the only King directed film I’ve liked from Garris is his miniseries adaptation of The Stand that I reviewed earlier this month.  So, who is in this thing?  Well, we have Johnathan Jackson (General Hospital and Tuck Everlasting) playing Alan Parker, an art student studying at the University of Maine.  Alan is always drawing pictures of grim reaper type characters and might even suffer from a split personality disorder.  His professor Mr. Clarkson think he is obsessed with death. 

 

Clarkson is played by Matt Frewer (Max Headroom and Watchmen) in what is not much more than a cameo but has been in several other films based on material from Stephen King.  After Alan attempts suicide, a weak attempt might I add, his girlfriend gives him tickets to a John Lennon concert (the film takes place in 1964, guess I should have told you that) but he never gets to use them.  Alan gets a phone call telling him his mother has suffered a stroke and is in the hospital recovering.  He decides he will hitchhike back home to see her.  On his journey home he meets some interesting characters including Ferris (an army deserter) who is the first to pick Alan up in his VW van.  Next he is picked up by a farmer played by Cliff Robertson who some might know better as Uncle Ben from the Toby Maguire Spiderman films.  Alan has several visions which feature his fathers funeral, his mothers death, as well as a day when his mother and he was in line for a roller coaster named “The Lightening”.  In the vision he recalls chickening out and not going on the ride therefore not “Riding the Lightening”.  Alan takes a short cut through a cemetery (ALWAYS a good idea!) and sees a headstone with the name George Staub on it.  Staub died two years prior.  

 

 

Alan is soon accompanied by his own apparition which gives him warnings and advice on his trip.  Alan is next picked up by a man who ends up being George Staub who is played by David Arquette who we all know as Dewey Riley from the Scream franchise.  Alan’s doppelganger notices the smell of formaldehyde coming from George and Alan realizes George is dead.  George eventually admits to Alan he is dead and how his death happened.  George then tells Alan that he is there to take either Alan or his mother with him and it’s up to Alan who it will be.  Alan’s mother is played by the legend that is Barbara Hershey who has been in The Insidious movie franchise as well as The Entity where she is raped by ghosts.  Let me tell you I was surprised by Riding the Bullet, in a good way.  The effects are all really well done and although the story at it’s base is simply a ghost story; it still was enjoyable for me.  I mean it’s not terrific by any stretch of the imagination but aside from The Stand, this is Mick Garris’ best King adaptation that I have seen.  YMMV here but I will give this three red 1958 Plymouth Furies out of five.  The sentimental epilogue at the end of the film is worthy of a half of a star alone so I almost went three and a half but let’s not get crazy here.