1922

Despite Stephen King being one of my favorite authors I have to admit I'd never even heard of 1922 let alone read it.

I tend to enjoy Stephen King adaptations, they're not all flawless but many have been outstanding and therefore I do tend to seek them out.

1922 is one of two Stephen King Adaptations released by Netflix in the same year beside the disapointing Geralds Game. It stars Thomas Jane & Neal McDonough set in *Drumroll* 1922. It tells the story of a farmer who with the aid of his 14yr old son decides to kill off his wife to maintain the life he is acustomed to and for financial security.

The movie is dark, gritty and sombre as you would imagine and Jane may well be at a career best here.

If you're expecting horror you will find very little, that simply isn't what 1922 is. If it had to be compared to anything I'd say Edgar Alan Poe's a Telltale Heart would be a good fit.

It doesn't make for the easiest viewing and has elements from Of Mice & Men (That she tell you all you need to know) but regardless it is a powerful piece that managed to entertain even despite my initial concerns.

The Good:

Thomas Jane is excellent

Great narration

Looks fantastic

The Bad:

Not for animal lovers

Difficult viewing

Questionable pacing

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Not that I thought about it at all but he made some weird choices in covering up the murder *Ahem* not that I in anyway put deep thought into getting away with murder

The movie is beautifully shot and very evocative of the period and location.

The plot summary tells you up front what happens -- a man kills his wife after coercing his son into helping. Who knows why he couldn't have just done it himself. As expected with a Stephen King story, things go downhill afterwards.

My primary objection is the accent used by Thomas Jane in the lead role. Was it supposed to be ... some kind of Midwest Okie? Others have praised his acting so mine is a minority opinion, but I could never get past it.

The story is narrated by the father, which isn't a device I particularly enjoy in general, plus it makes his weird accent and slowly deliberate way of speaking even more prominent.

My thoughts:

1 - the movie was very similar to the novella which is a great thing.

2 - The actors portraying Wilf and Hank nailed the characters.

3 - No CGI that I could notice. The movie relied on subtlety and didn't try to explain everything detail.

4 - My wife enjoyed it, and she is a tough big to crack.

Much like Stephen King's 1408 (a short story from his Everything's Eventual collection), 1922 is another short story that transfers well to the silver screen. 1922 is an American Gothic tale set at a family's comfortable farm in the mid-west. Hundreds of acres of pristine farmland, a thriving crop, a proud father, and blue skies as far as one can see. The husband has plenty to love about life here, except for his ill-contented wife. This idyllic scene becomes the backdrop of husbands conniving treachery, and a thematic string of mishaps and horrors which follow. The sweet life is not so sweet anymore. Thomas Jane churns out a strong and convincing performance not to be missed.

I loved it from start to end. Thomas Jane gives another excellent performance!

The plot is thrilling and makes you want to keep watching even if it's a slow-paced film. It reminded me a lot of old school horror/suspense films from the 80's. The ones that didn't depend on jump-scares or stupid demonic creatures to make the whole movie.

Don't listen to those few people arguing the film was boring because it was slow. Maybe they're used to jump-scares and serial killers. This is a very simple but deep plot that is worth seeing.