THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
It feels common for celebrities to have obsessive fans that the last thing they want to do is to rub them the wrong way when encountering them. The best example of such a scenario is expressed in the Stephen King adaptation, Misery.
PLOT
The 1990 film follows writer Paul Sheldon who is concluding his titular book series by killing off the main character. After checking out of a hotel in Silver Creek, Colorado, planning to return to New York City, he has a car accident due to encountering a blizzard. However, he is saved by Annie Wilkes, a former nurse who claims to be his number one fan. When he wakes up, he discovers due to be bedridden due to broken legs and a dislocated shoulder. His agent Marcia (Lauren Bacall) contacts the local sheriff of Silver Creek named Buster, who promises to start an investigation of his absence. When scouting the are via helicopter, he does discover Paul's car, resulting in going public to the media that the writer. When looking at the dents on it, there is suspicion that he must have been taken. One night, Annie confronts Paul as she is appalled of Misery Chastain getting killed off in the new book. She than shares that she hasn't contacted anyone where he is. The following morning, she makes him burn his new manuscript and buys him a typewriter for him to write a new book that'll resurrect Misery. When she goes out to get more paper, he tries to scope the house by unlocking his door with one of her bobby pins he found on the floor. He only gets a stash of painkillers so that he could stockpile them. When he passes through the living room, he almost knocks over a ceramic penguin but he picks it up and places it differently before it could ever fall. He than returns to his room before Annie returns. Another night, he plans to poison her with painkillers by pouring it in her wine without her notice. However, she spills it on accident before she could take a drink. As time progresses and while Paul writes the new Misery novel, Buster is reading his novels to find some kind of clue that'll explain where he could be. Another day when Annie goes out, he goes to the kitchen to steal a knife, hoping to kill her the next time he sees her. When returning to his room, he finds a scrapbook of her past. The scrapbook included headlines of her killing infants during her time as a maternity nurse, but was let go due to lack of evidence. Annie eventually confronts him by revealing she knows what he's doing: She admits to taking notice of the ceramic penguin and shows the knife he took. She permanently injures him by hobbling his legs, to ensure he can never escape. The day after that, Buster does notice Annie in public and draws suspicion on her. He goes to the library and finds the newspaper articles of her trial. He reads that she quoted the Misery novels during the trial. When going to the general store, the clerk shares that she buys a high quantity of typing paper. He goes to her farm to see if his suspicion is true. Annie drugs Paul and hides him in the basement before the sheriff reaches the front door. When being questioned if she knows anything of the writer's whereabouts, she denies it. Buster almost leaves, but enters the house again when hearing commotion in the basement. He opens the basement door and just when he discovers Paul, Annie shoots him with a shotgun. Knowing that people will come for him, she claims that they must die together so that he isn't taken from her. Paul buys himself some time by requesting to finish the story and celebrate the end of his work. At night, he asks for cigarettes and champagne. She lays the cigarette with a box of matches while getting the drink. When she returns with the drink and glasses, he burns the manuscript and defends himself by hitting her with a typewriter. She tries to shoot him with a revolver, but misses with her only two loaded bullets. He than makes her trip, resulting in her hitting her head on the typewriter. But Paul's fatal blow to her is with a metal doorstop, in which he uses to bash her head. 18 months after this event, he is wheelchair bound but safe and sound in New York. He is now promoting his first post-Misery novel, but refuses to write something based on his captivity because he is still traumatized of it. The film ends with Paul briefly mistaking a waitress as Annie at a restaurant.
THOUGHTS
I recall watching this film sometime when I was a child and my reaction remains the same where I say 'My God what a picture'. Director Rob Reiner provided the most thrilling film he could have ever made in his career. This was one of those movies where I was biting my nails for a majority of the runtime and if that's happening, than you're doing a great job scaring the shit out of me. This was the kind of film where every second matters because if you didn't read the book, you're gonna have a hard time figuring out how it's gonna go, and that's what makes the experience all the more terrifying to get through. I think what scared me the most in this film is how you can never tell what's going on in a house inside. You can look at it as the place where you can be home outside but within, it can be a prison. And the feeling that your healer can be your tormentor makes it so claustrophobic to witness. That dynamic is shown excellently with the paring of James Caan and Kathy Bates. For Caan's incredible performance as Paul Sheldon, we root for him because despite acting impulsive, he has such a strong will, determined to be free. He might come off clumsy but in his predicament, it's not exactly his fault. While not everything went as planned, you respect his efforts to overcome the odds. While it sucks that he's not mentally in the right place, there is still warmth that he is physically free. And as for Bates, she is phenomenal in her Oscar winning performance as Annie Wilkes. She remains an iconic antagonist due to her diabolical past and the needs to be a control freak. She was off the rails for a long time and she was never get back on. Because of this, her psychotic needs made her more intelligent for the worst, not the best. She was living switch because if you can get on her good side, she'll come off cheery. The cheery side made me chuckle because I never thought I would ever see someone be excited to play Liberace records. Back to the psychotic side, she was at her most terrifying when hobbling Paul's side. The second she swung that sledgehammer, I almost couldn't get through it. Thanks to Greg Nictoero's fascinating make up, it couldn't look anymore real. While both leads dominate this film, that does not mean they're the only stars. Richard Farnsworth stood out when playing Sheriff Buster because he presents him to be a smarter figure than those around him would expect. It may have taken a while for him to figure out the case, but at least he never gave up. This thriller appears timeless but despite given praise, I admit that there were some things that rubbed me off the wrong way. First off, I feel like Marcia should have summoned an investigation for her missing client. I know that Buster found the car with the aid of the FBI, but nothing else happens after that. Had she gotten involved, I feel like there'd be a better chance of finding him. I also found it weird how Buster didn't have a sled in his car when driving around with his wife. I know he's old but in a snowy town like Silver Creek, it almost feels necessary for any occasion. And most importantly, I thought it was not smart of him to go to Wilkes' farm alone. If he was certain she had Sheldon captive, he should've called authorities before making a pursuit. Other than that, this film doesn't ever decline in quality within each viewing. In conclusion, Misery is a great thriller because it knows how to drive you crazy. So if you're into a claustrophobic setting, this movie is the one for you.
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