Billy (Robert John Burke) Halleck is an overweight lawyer who no diet seems to work for. He succeeds in getting crime boss, Richie “The Hammer” Ginelli (Joe Mantegna), off for putting a price on a man’s head. After going out for a celebratory dinner with his wife and a colleague, Billy drives home and after getting distracted, hits an old gypsy woman with his car. At the court hearing, with some help from the judge and police chief, the death is ruled an accident and Billy gets off without punishment. When getting into the car after leaving the court he is approached by the victims 106-year-old Father, Tadzu Lempke (Michael Constantine), who touches his face and says “thinner”.
I am not going to spoil this one!
This is one of my favourite Stephen King based movies. It shows that our actions have repercussions. Billy kills someone and gets away with it. Or does he? The law may have found him innocent, but the family of the victim didn’t. As far as they were concerned, he deserved to die slowly. It’s one of those slightly stereotypical gypsy curse stories that we really shouldn’t take too seriously. Sort of like Drag Me to Hell, only good. Shots fired.
I have to say, the make up effects on Billy are good. He goes from an obese man to a sick looking man, moments from death. Joe Mantegna is great as always. He usually plays either a cop or a criminal, rarely anything else. But these are usually the roles in which he shines the most.
My one criticism about this movie, is that Galina (Lempke’s great-granddaughter) is freaking annoying! She runs around with a slingshot screaming like a psycho. A slingshot? Who does she think she is, Bart Simpson? She’s a grown woman!
I read that the movie did not do well with critics or fans, and it suffered financially.
As one of Stephen King’s more interesting movie adaptations, it’s thoroughly entertaining. It’s dark, vengeful and doesn’t drag on in its 93 minute runtime.
Stephen King cameo: The chemist.
Linsey Loves Horror 