This is not one of the worse adaptations of Stephen King's work, but it's another one that makes the successful ones (De Palma's "Carrie," Reiner's "Stand by Me," and Kubrick's "The Shining" come immediately to mind) seem all the more remarkable. Jonathan Jackson does a fine job of playing a self-absorbed and death-fixated jerk. David Arquette does a fine job of playing a weirdo, which I know comes as a shock, but this one is threatening. It's nice to see Barbara Hershey and Cliff Robertson working, but the film is an incoherent, drug-trippy, red-herring-loaded road movie in which each succeeding segment and flashback builds to a huge.... mind-numbing yawn. If you fast-forward to long segments you may miss some details but in the end, you won't care.
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PDXozoner30 September 2006
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BA_Harrison16 August 2006MickGarris, director of Riding The Bullet, is no stranger to adapting the work of Stephen King for the screen, having previously tackled TV versions of Quicksilver Highway, The Stand, and The Shining, and the big screen adaptation of Sleepwalkers. Of all the directors that have turned King's blockbuster books into movies, Garris seems to be the one of those best able to capture King's literary style on film. This is great news for fans of King's work, but not so great for me; I've always struggled with his books, finding them something of a chore to work through. Naturally, this is also how I felt about Garris's adaptation of Riding The Bullet.
Troubled teen Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is hitch-hiking to see his mother in hospital. On the way, he encounters many strange people and before his journey is through, he is forced to confront his demons and make some life-changing decisions.
I must stress that this is not a horror film; there are spooky moments, but these are not necessarily supernatural, and are more likely the result of the lead character's fertile imagination. To me, the film was more about not wasting the gift of life, dealing with guilt, and the importance of making good choices.
Garris attempts some particularly strange visual gimmickry during the telling of this tale, but I personally found his quirky directorial style to be annoying, and a truly awful performance from David Arquette certainly didn't help matters; only one or two genuinely creepy moments manage to stop this from being a complete waste of time. It is ironic that, for a film about 'making good choices', the makers of this movie sure seem to have made some bad ones. -
bowmanblue10 July 2014Okay, so most of Stephen King's books which have made the transition to film have been a little dubious to say the least. However, they always seem to be at least watchable. This one isn't.
It's about a student who learns his mother has had a stroke. Therefore he decides to hitchhike home to see her in hospital. Ignoring the fact that he doesn't seem to have any mode of transport or finances to take public transport, he sets off.
What follows is one random scene after the next. It's like the whole film is just his encounters along the way. Yes, some are well done and quite creepy or unsettling. However, there is simply no story here. He meets one weird character. He leaves them. Rinse and repeat.
Like I say, it has its creepy moments. Plus the acting is decent enough. There just isn't a story here at all. The young man starts at university. He ends up by his mother's side. Along the way are a few instances of weirdness. If you get bored (and I sure did), you can even skip chapters on the DVD. Each chapter is basically one weird/random encounter with a stranger. Therefore you can effectively skip the entire middle part of the film (while he's on the road) and still not miss anything and understand it completely.
Definitely one to avoid. Stick to Pet Sematery.
http://thewrongtreemoviereviews.blogspot.co.uk/ -
kiliansabre24 January 2005I am actually surprised to see this movie has gotten as high a rating as it has, as honestly it doesn't deserve it. Unless you are a die hard King fan this probably won't hold much appeal to you. The almost-horror premise involves a young man's trip to visit his mother who has been hospitalized from a stroke. Along the way he comes to terms with his past and current fears involving death in an almost 'Chistmas Carol' like way. The main flaw with the movie is that it may have a good theme about the value of life, but the 'fantasies' that the lead lives in lend a horror aspect that is mostly conveyed as trite and forced. The acting and effects were convincing enough for what it is (though much of the effects that are supposed to scare us involve menacing conversation), but overall it was too uneven to really deliver either a decent horror or a good coming to terms movie. A good choice for a Sunday night when nothing else is on.
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Backlash0071 May 2005It always intrigues me when a film virtually disappears at the box office and a few months later it's premiering on television. I think to myself "can it really be that bad?" and I must watch it. Well, Riding the Bullet wasn't that bad, but it didn't deserve a theatrical release, not even a limited one. Mick Garris (The Stand) has been directed in television for so long that his big screen efforts feel like TV movies. Riding the Bullet felt like it was made for the small screen. I have a feeling that if the source material had been longer, Garris would have tried to pull a mini-series out of it. Garris has had success and failure with adapting Stephen King's work and I have to say that this falls somewhere in the middle. This is a case where the parts are better than the whole. I really enjoyed the scene where George Staub has a flashback to his own death that's done as if we're watching a film within the film. And then I hate all of the "gotcha" moments where what's happening on screen is just in the main character's head. I suppose it's an attempt to trick the audience but it happens way too much. Virtually every 7 or 8 minutes this happens and, honestly, it takes me out of the movie. I have to disagree with Tobe Hooper. This is not the best Stephen King movie. Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, and Barbara Hershey are leading the cast, while Cliff Robertson, Nicky Katt, and Matt Frewer put in some cameos. Let's wish Mick better luck with Desperation.
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michesam1 February 2005With respect to the previous reviewer, I believe that die-hard King fans (especially those who have read Riding the Bullet) will be, if anything, more disappointed in this movie. (Warning, I am trying to avoid spoilers, but they may creep in.) Am I the only one bothered by how much the script departed from the original story? By the time it was over, I had spent so much time referencing the original that my wife asked me, quite seriously, if anything on the screen was from the story. **Minor Spoilers Upcoming**I mean, whole sections of the movie, well over half the material including a lot of the back story and the fantasy sequences the previous reviewer complains about, were completely off the page. In itself not a problem, a short story needs some filler to make a 2-hour movie, but in this case it made such changes in the tone of the central character that the payoff at the end (his decision) did not play as powerfully to me (this is only my opinion and reaction, feel free to disagree) as in the written story. Also, I was very disappointed in the rather contrived way the interior dialog of the central character was handled. Especially when a more effective (if traditional) simple voice over narration was used later in the film to accomplish the same function. Frankly, I do feel that, in the hands of a different director, the original material could have been powerfully recreated and given the atmosphere of real horror without a lot of plot embellishment through lighting, pacing and acting.
(In fairness, I do want to mention one embellishment that I did like. The "Movie within a Movie" sequence was well done and even interesting both visually and dramatically.)
Finally, I find it interesting that while it was claimed that the movie was made for USA Networks they did not see fit to make it a "TV ready" version. I do know that it is common with TV movies to do a "European" theatrical cut to try and recoup some of the cost, but this is usually done by actually filming two versions of various scenes, one with sanitized language and images for US TV and another one for big screen overseas release. In this case, they made a movie "for TV" and simply **bleeped** the "dirty" parts. (This was done so often, and so jarringly, that I found it frankly both distracting and annoying.) I am beginning to wonder if, in fact, both USA and SciFi (sister channels) are simply buying low-medium budget made for theater Indies that don't get distribution deals and then editing them (in many cases quite badly) for TV broadcast.
My recommendation? Get hold of a printed copy of the original story Riding the Bullet (collected in Everything's Eventual by Stephen King) and let the director of your own imagination put it up on the screen of your mind. -
SnoopyStyle18 October 2014It's 1969. Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is an art student at the University of Maine obsessed with death. His girlfriend Jessica (Christensen) throws him a surprise birthday party and finds him attempting a suicide by slicing his wrist in the bath tub. He decides to go to a John Lennon concert in Toronto with his friends. Then he gets a call that his mother Jean (Barbara Hershey) had a stroke and is in the hospital. He hitchhikes and encounters strange events.
The constant imaginary edits keeps faking out the story. It disrupts any flow to the movie. It's a mess. Jonathan Jackson lacks the charisma to lead a movie. He is unable to draw me into the story and provides next to no energy. The movie limps along without much drive as Alan deals with one character after another. It's like a random collection of horror stories from the road. It's probably one of the worst Stephen King adaptations I have ever seen. -
jaycee212 August 2004Sunday, August 1st 2004 was the World Premiere of Stephen King's Riding The Bullet, which was hosted by DIRECTOR MICK GARRIS.
The story is set back in 1969. Alan (Jonathan Jackson) is a college student who learns that his mother (Barbara Hershey) has been hospitalized after a stroke. He must hitchhike across the state over the course of one night to be with her. Along the way he confronts his past, his future, his demons and fears - and a terrifying personification of death.
This film is brilliantly shot and the cast is fantastic!!! This film works so well because it has everything a TRUE Stephen King fan would be proud of. Excellent character development with thorough storyline added with a dash of fear and terror.
The movie is 100 min. -
africe8 November 2019Wow, not as good as I expected. Kept putting off wayching it an now I know why. Too all over the place. I felt a bit schitzo. Drifted off twice
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What makes this movie worth watching, and I would say it is indeed worth watching, is the way it zips in and out of its protagonist's mind. Scenes constantly veer off into grim fantasy sequences, but you often won't realize it's fantasy until it's over. One of the things books do better than movies is to get inside someone's head, but here you really do get pretty far into his paranoid fantasies and death obsession.
The movie is not, for the most part, a horror movie, but it does manage to generate suspense by bringing you into Alan's paranoia. The movie is weakest when it is most horror-movie like, and the last half hour feels way too much like an episode of the Twilight Zone (and even more like its wannabe cousin The Night Gallery). A stronger ending would have made for a better movie, but this one is still interesting. I give it a low 7. -
baba447135 June 2006I'm a Stephen King fan. Not a die-hard fan, I read his late works more out of respect than enjoyment, but I must admit he can weave a storyline when he wants to.
That's why I always cringe when I hear there is another King adaptation. It's always a very ugly experience for me. Not only am I barely standing watching it, I am also embarrassed that I actually liked the very story the usually atrocious movie is based on.
So here comes "Riding the bullet", the movie based on a story I rather enjoyed. I wasn't even expecting it, a friend brought it from a video store for the bunch of us to watch.
Need I continue? Again, since my friends know I have S.K. book collection and had read and liked the story, the experience was as close to embarrassment as walking in naked on grandma's 90th birthday. I found myself constantly explaining that "this was not in the book" and almost apologizing for how bad it was.
Why was it so bad? Where should I start? The main character in the book was a normal kid, a guy you can identify with. In the movie he is a death-obsessed freak who regularly talks with himself. But not the usual way, mind you, his other self makes a habit of walking up to him and disappearing in puff of smoke. Basically the whole introduction - which is, of course, "not in the book" - serves only to make him more dislikable. He likes to draw monsters and has hallucinations of shoddy Death creature with heavy-metal background music (oh, the movie is set in 1969 by the way, so good choice with the score, guys!). He whines and self-pities himself and is basically a jerk. But we're stuck with him for 2 hours, oh joy and happiness.
So, anyway, this moaning creep's mother gets sick and he goes on a trip to see her. On this trip a bunch of animals get roadkilled, he talks to himself and some other non-existing folks a lot and at some time David Arquette turns up and pretends he is scary. By the end, I was just waiting for the torture to be over. And it was a long wait.
I tried reading the story again yesterday. I couldn't. The whining freak permanently replaced the original guy. And boy, do I want to forget that face.
Thanks a lot guys. And please make more King adaptations, I can't wait. -
jonny-046897 March 2015I was quite impressed with this film. It obviously wasn't a big-budget or big-marketing film. On my TV, the guide rated this as one-star. But I liked the story, I'm a Stephen King nut, and I enjoy watching films that aren't very well known. Basically, I didn't expect much so I was pleasantly surprised to find a decent movie that had wonderful atmosphere, as well as a strong performance from David Arquette. The movie is a bit random, and yes, it is filled with some cheap, cliché' scares. Basically, this is an exciting horror film that also contains plenty of late 60's music and lifestyle. While it's not perfect, it offers some excellent atmosphere and deserves at least one watch. Definitely recommended for a good Halloween movie.
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kannibalcorpsegrinder26 June 2015Receiving news his mother is dying, a college student decides to hitchhike out to go see her, but as he gets closer and closer to his goal he begins to feel a dangerous supernatural entity is playing games with him and vows to put an end to them before it's too late.
This here actually wasn't that bad at times. the film is incredibly enjoyable and entertaining whenever there's something that occurs out on the road as a mind-game, as not only is something actually happening but the set-ups are unique and really enjoyable. Stumbling across the highway accident one is really good, as the supernatural payoff is highly entertaining among the believable chaos and panic at the scene, and the rabbit attack is a glorious one because of the film's sole use of animals amongst all the macabre imagery. Also interesting is the chase in the pick-up truck which starts off pretty tensely through the field before going into the junkyard, as well as the interplay in the car for the final ride as the word-play works wonders in the suspense of the situation followed by a couple great gore gags to keep it going. Likewise, the ending is pretty tense with the hospital race coming at the end of the last rather good car sequence on the road, and all of these fun scenes really start to pile up after awhile to make this quite enjoyable. Along with the general plot-line which is pretty unique and really creative, these here are what work for the film as this one here didn't have all that many flaws. One of the main ones here is that the film features a rather irritating trick of resorting for a flashback here at every opportunity, making for a very irritating habit of getting confusing when it shouldn't. The fact that it shows the family history as much as it does is one of the problems, but here it just throws useless scene after another detailing it, then it decides to throw in the flashbacks which barely makes it any better by going to a time that doesn't help revealing important information about the story or why anything is happening, and all they do is add to the confusion which is a really hard task to accomplish. What is also tough to understand is the motive for the main villain who initially appearing as a sort of Grim Reaper-like figure that spends half the running time talking away with the supposed victim and never tricks them into killing or any other vile activities as there were plenty of available times to do that to pad out the film's running time which really makes little sense here. Otherwise, the only other flaw here is the film's rather dreary pacing since it spends so much time driving around that this is locked in on a singular location for so much of the time that it feels repetitive quite easily which makes this one feel boring at certain points along the way. These are what hurt the film.
Rated R: Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and Nudity. -
ma-cortes3 October 2020A young hitchiking, Jonathan Jackson, leaves his College girlfriend, Erika Christiensen, and back home on his way to the hospital to visit his mummy, Barbara Hershey, who is dying by a sickness. Along the way he is picked up by a mysterious stranger, David Arquette .As while the rides continues, the young man finds out an awful secret and he has to take a creepy choice. The dead travel fast.
A surprising and twisted movie about an eerie choice that is given to a young man and it can mean life or death. Based on a story of the same title by Stephen King, containing some self-biographic elements which was exclusively written for the internet. It displays thills, chills, fantasy and horrifying events . An engaging and provoking story written/produced/directed by Mick Garris in which our starring has to contend weird appearances , while his doppleganger advises him fateful decision. Starts Jonathan Jackson who is assisted by a fine support cast, such as David Arquette, Barbara Hershey , Cris Gauthier, Matt Frewer, Barry Levy , Nicky Katt and the veteran Clift Robertson in one of his last films.
It packs a thriling and terrifying musical score by Nikolas Pike. As well as atmospheric and adequate cinematography by Robert New. The motion picture was professionally directed by Mick Garris, but being inferior than other Stephen King entries .Garris is an expert on terror movies writing, producing and directing several films and TV episodes , Television miniseries of this genre , such as : Sleepwalkers, Tales From the crypt, Quicksilver Highway, Masters of horro, Ravenswood, Bag of bones, Nightmare cinema, The Shining, Psycho IV, Witches of East End, Amazing stories, Freddy's nightmares, Desperation, Sleepwalkers, among others. Rating : Passable and acceptable 5.5/10. The picture will appeal to Stephen King aficionados and completists. -
claudio_carvalho6 November 2005Yesterday I was visiting my brother-in-law and we decided to rent this DVD to watch with a group of friends, based on the name of Stephen King highlighted on the cover of the DVD. The story is about a morbid young man, who tries to suicide on the day of his birthday just because his girlfriend had broken with him. When he leaves the hospital, he is informed that his mother had a stroke, and he hitchhikes with weird persons during the night in lonely roads trying to visit her. One of the drivers is death, who asks him to choose who should die: himself or his mother. In this moment, he realizes how important is to live, and changes his attitude and behavior regarding life. Maybe Stephen King's book is good, I have never read it, but this adaptation is a crap. We were a group of nine friends, five slept in the middle of the film. My vote is four.
Title (Brazil): "Montado na Bala" ("Riding the Bullet") -
melaniemw1830 January 2005Stephen King is an amazing writer. And more times than not I enjoy the movies made from his stories. But this movie was disappointing. Perhaps if you didn't read the short story on which this was based, you could enjoy this movie. While watching, I wondered if the person who wrote and or made this movie was familiar with other short stories of Kings. I think this movie had too much garbage that wasn't in the story and I felt it wasn't true to what King had written. I've read almost everything he has written and seen most of his movies. I just couldn't get into this movie. But if you haven't read the short story of the same name, do so, it is good.
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I read alot of books of Stephen King but I don't remember reading this one. So watching the movie seemed like a fine option. The problem with book adaptations of Stephen King is that the outcome is or brilliant (The Shawshank Redemption, The Shining, The Green Mile, Stand By Me, Mysery and more) or just below average and I'm afraid we can classify Riding The Bullet in the second category. The story is quite boring to watch, the acting is okay but since the plot is so confusing at times you just lose interest after awhile. I'm sure the book is much better, like most of the time. If you still want to give this movie a go just make sure you're not too tired because otherwise you will guarantee fall asleep.
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after reading some of these awful reviews, I have to conclude that you need to be in your 50s to enjoy this movie. well, I am, and I did! a lot.
it was really beautifully shot, the story was interesting, and the acting was fine. Barbara Hershey has always been one of my favorite actresses, and I love the fact that her face is still HER face! the late '60s vibe was a little hit-or-miss (somebody above mentioned the plastic bong), but the music was perfect.
if you like creepy movies that also make you think, you'll like this, although you might find the resolution a bit unsatisfying. if you just want to see zombies eat humans, you might not. -
damianphelps24 September 2020This movie spends more time in dream/fantasy sequences than it does in actual reality and whilst they are meant to be shocking and revealing they just become irritating.
The main character is a flog and I couldn't help thinking if he had completed committing suicide at the start of the movie it would have been a better film, shorter but better!
The scares aren't scary, the gruesome effects belong in the 70's.
If you are a long time sufferer of insomnia...check it out! -
kevin_robbins20 May 2023Rising the Bullet (2004) is a movie that I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a college kid who was raised by a single mother after his father committed suicide. When his mother has a stroke he tries to rush home by hitchhiking. Along his journey he will run into several supernatural elements. He discovers reaching his mom puts his soul, and his mom's soul, at risk. Can he save them both or will he need to sacrifice himself to save her?
This movie is directed by Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers) and stars Jonathan Jackson (Insomnia), David Arquette (Scream), Barbara Hershey (Black Swan), Cliff Robertson (Spider-Man), Erika Christensen(Traffic) and Matt Frewer (Watchmen).
This is such a fun Stephen King storyline to watch unfold. There a million subtle, and not so subtle, tie in to other King movies. The horror elements are hit or miss, but David Arquette is awesome in this. He was easily my favorite character and performance. There's a dog scene in here that's pretty cool and always makes me smile. I loved the depiction of the era - the concert, attire and cars were all excellent. The dialogue is really good, especially the college scenes. The storyline was a bit uneven to me and could have been executed better.
Overall, this is a solid addition to the horror genre that isn't great but is definitely worth a viewing. I would score this a 6/10 and strongly recommend it. -
movieman_kev30 April 2005Johnathon Jackson stars as feminine schizophrenic hippie Alan Parker, who has to miss a John Lennon/ Yoko Ono concert (boo-friggan-who) to attend to his recently stroke-addled Mother. Chris Gaunthier plays Alan's friend ,Hector, as a third-rate Jack Black and is very annoying. But he's only in the first 20 minutes so I didn't mind as much. So anyway Alan starts hitchhiking back to his mom, meeting 'eccentric' and 'colorful' (read annoying) people, along the way. Remembering the past,having delusions, and wandering aimlessly. When you think it can't get any worse in comes one of the most horrid actors of my generation, David "Ready 2 Rumble" Arquette, and it takes a complete nosedive. I saw the non-USA network version, so it wasn't bleeped or censored. And you know what? It still pretty much blew. This from a man who has the complete Stephan King collection in his library. Oh and there's also a second Alan that pops up that just seems to state the obvious. Lastly, the soundtrack is THE SAME soundtrack of ANY movie set in the '60s.
My Grade: D
Eye Candy: Catherine Devine is a sheer beauty to behold as a nude model in the beginning of the film. -
Crannicus_Maximus30 March 2006Not being a big King fan, I don't think I could've asked for more. I've seen IT, I've struggled through the long run of "The Stand", but it is this film which stands out more than any of the other adaptations of Stephen King's work.
A chilling narrative of a man traveling across country in the 70s, Riding the Bullet succeeds where many other movies have failed by presenting a personal conflict, that is, one which exists within the main character's mind.
I don't think I could've asked for a much better acting job from any of the cast, either.
8/10. -
Darkness87617 August 2005I haven't read the book, nor had i seen any sort of promotion for this film when a friend popped it into my DVD player. I know Stephen King has written novels which arnet of the genre "horror" but, this one definitely presents itself as a horror flick, especially with its DVD menu. If that is what your looking for (a film to scare you and keep you on the edge) i can tell you that this isn't it. As a horror movie, its very weak, even boring and fails to terrify the audience so if thats what your looking for pass this by.
However, as a "drama" this film is exceptional. Mainly because King writes his characters so well. Thats what this film is about, its a character study showing the internal quest of a young man who is unsatisfied with life. Really, its about finding a will to live.
The beginning of the film in my opinion contains one of the most disturbing scenes caught on film and it certainly left an impact on me, as did the films dark atmosphere. But, after the main character attempts suicide (the scene i was talking about) the film really isn't scary and it shouldn't be labeled as a scary film.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this film was straight to video, so it has a low budget feel to it, sorta like a TV movie. The acting is good but the actors are nobody's (yes David Arquette is a nobody too).
So, in conclusion, if your looking for a film to investigate the mind of a character and his internal struggle, rent this movie. If you liked the book, rent this movie. But if you just want a mindless good time, stay away from this film. Maybe i suggest Candyman? or IT? instead.
Cheers -
Toire24 January 2005OK, I'm a serious King fan and can forgive some otherwise pitiful movies just because they were based on his works. However, there are a series of horrid big screen conversions that just butcher King's work; Pet Semetary and Maximum Overdrive are good examples. As bad as the big screen is to King, TV is worse. The conversion of IT was tolerable, due to Curry's Pennywise, but other than that most of the TV productions of King's works aren't worth watching. Saying all of that, RIDING THE BULLET was far worse than any of the previous TV slaughterhouse fare. The acting was subpar, the screenplay was weak and predictable, and it was nearly as scary as a bad dream about rabid rubber duckies devouring your bath soap. To make the whole matter worse, this film was shown on USA Network which promptly squelched out every Nth word in the movie because of language. (Just another bad reaction to the FCC's over reactions) The amount of missing dialogue was a good chunk of the movie. Normally bleeping or editing for language isn't that noticeable but on this show it was very distracting. DVD renter won't have to deal with that. If I could this movie a Zero rating I would. If you like King, read a book.
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JGenest811 July 2007O.K. To start off I have read many of Stephen Kings books and short stories, and have loved them all. I even loved this story. But when made into a movie, it was absolutely destroyed for me and I don't think I can think about this movie the same way again. When I found this movie at Blockbuster, I wondered why I hadn't heard of this movie before(now i know exactly why) First of all, There was a completely unnecessary beginning that was not true to the story at all. For example, 1. in the story he never tried to kill himself 2.He never had any trouble with his girlfriend. 3. He never had a demented sick mind where he thinks about death all the time. 4. He and his friends(who were'nt in the book) were never pot heads.
After this, it just got worse. The guy who picked him up in the hippy truck was unneeded and was not in the book. I have to admit that George Staub was a pretty creepy dead guy(and that's the only reason I'm giving it 2 stars, otherwise, i would have only given it 1), but besides that, the movie was awful. If you're thinking about renting it.....IT IS A WASTE OF MONEY And by the way..... Stephen king should stick to books, not movies.