1922

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.

Based on Stephen King's novella of the same name, 1922 is like Stephen King's own version of Allen Poe's timeless classic THE TELL-TALE HEART story that set around here Wilfred James, a Nebraska farmer with a bitter wife named Arlette and a loyal son named Henry. This hardworking but not-too-successful farmer finds himself under increasing pressure from his wife when she clearly started to express her frustrations living in the country and wants to sell her all of the 100 acres of land that she got inheritably and move to the big city. Through their disagreements, when Arlette threatens to divorce him, taking the son with her, Wilfred plots to murder her and methodically persuades his son to become his partner in crime. This is beautifully done, an effectively slow-burn horror-drama directed by Zak Hilditch and like the way Carla Gugino turned GERALD'S GAME into her own showcase of versatile acting talent, this time almost an unrecognizable Thomas Jane delivered one of his best performances in career, IMO. His deeply sincere & committed performance as an early 1920s manipulative, desperate farmer with a slowly rotten psyche…was not only an absolute treat but surely this year's one the best so far that deserve some recognition in the coming award season.

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.

If you're ever depressed, and think your life is crap, watch this movie. You'll see how bad things could be.