Riding the Bullet

Director: Mick Garris Mick Garris

Overview

A young man who has flirted with death is forced to come to terms with mortality in this tale of terror based on a story by Stephen King. Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) is a college student studying art at the University of Maine in 1969. Cursed with an over-active imagination, Alan constantly obsesses over the worst outcome of any situation, and when he begins to suspect his girlfriend, Jessica (Erika Christensen), is thinking of leaving him, it drives him to the brink of suicide. Shortly after this brush with death, Alan receives word that his mother, Jean (Barbara Hershey), has suffered a severe stroke and may not pull through. Alan grabs his jacket and hits the road, hoping to hitchhike the one hundred miles to the hospital. As it happens, Alan is trying to catch a ride on Halloween night, and after he's picked up by one George Staub (David Arquette), he realizes that he's riding the highway with a creature not of this Earth. Riding the Bullet was directed by Mick Garris, marking the fourth time the filmmaker has brought one of King's stories to the cinema or television screen.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/19/2005
UPC:	0031398172529
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	R
Source:	LIONSGATE - 600000-AEC LGE
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:38:00
Sales rank:	44,459

Special Features

16:9 widescreen; 5.1 Dolby Digital; Director, cast and crew commentary; Shooting the Bull minifeaturette gallery; The art of Riding the Bullet; Storyboard-to-film comparisons; Trailer; English and Spanish subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jonathan Jackson	Alan Parker
David Arquette	George Staub
Cliff Robertson	Farmer
Barbara Hershey	Jean Parker
Erika Christensen	Jessica Hadley
Barry W. Levy	Julian Parker
Jackson Harris	Young Alan
Jeff Ballard	Adolescent Alan
Peter Lacroix	Mature Alan
Chris Gauthier	Hector Passmore
Robin Nielsen	Archie Howard
Matt Frewer	Mr. Clarkson
Simon Webb	Grim Reaper
Keith Dallas	Orderly
Danielle Dunn-Morris	Mrs. Janey McCurdy
Nicky Katt	Ferris
Howard Kaylan	Apple Man
Nicholas Pike	Composer

Technical Credits

Mick Garris

Mick Garris	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Brad Krevoy	Producer
Joel T. Smith	Producer
David Lancaster	Executive Producer,Producer
Jörg Westerkamp	Executive Producer
Julia Verdin	Casting
Vicki Sotheran	Producer
Stephen King	Executive Producer
Frank Hübner	Executive Producer,Producer
Jan Fantl	Executive Producer
Sebastian Salm	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Much like most faithful Stephen King film interpretations, Riding the Bullet falters from its basic failure to be able to translate the fantastical elements of the horror scribe's prose. Director Mick Garris has a history with King, previously adapting the needless Shining TV mini-series, along with the cat suit monster flick Sleepwalkers and various other anthology series, all of which basically share that same fundamental weakness that pops up in most book-to-screen adaptations. Much like 2003's embarrassing flop Dreamcatcher, Garris does his best to try and pull off what can only be realized in the written form, but too often it just comes off awkward and forced. Take how he handles the inner monologues of the main character or the hallucinogenic dream sequences that get old far too soon for their own good. On the upside, the director does show a fun sense of style in some of the camera shots and the carefully selected music fits perfectly for the '60s-era road-trip vibe. The story follows some major deviations from the book, which purists will be sad to note even if they should be used to it by now. In the end, Garris misses the tone completely, making an otherwise frightful tale into a semi-comical show of style over substance.