Riding the Bullet (2004)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Mick Garris

Writers (WGA):

Stephen King (novel)
Mick Garris (screenplay)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

The dead travel fast

Plot:

When a man finds out his mother is dying and tries to hitchike his way to the hospital, he is picked up by a stranger with a deadly secret.

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Hospital | Dilemma | Hitch Hiker | Suicide Attempt

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jonathan Jackson	...	Alan Parker
David Arquette	...	George Staub
Cliff Robertson	...	Farmer
Barbara Hershey	...	Jean Parker
Erika Christensen	...	Jessica Hadley
Barry W. Levy	...	Julian Parker (as Barry Levy)
Jackson Warris	...	Alan - Age 6
Jeffrey Ballard	...	Alan - Age 12 (as Jeff Ballard)
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

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Riding the Bullet (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, language, drug use and some nudity.

Runtime:

USA:98 min | Argentina:98 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:14A (Ontario) | Malaysia:18SG | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | UK:15 (DVD rating) | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA)

Trivia:

Based on a story of the same name by Stephen King that was written exclusively for the internet.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Hell's Gate ride wasn't in production in 1969. The earliest models didn't appear widely until the 80s.

Quotes:

Mature Alan: [voice over] Nothing seems to last. But the bullet. The bullet is constant. The bullet is always there. You wait in line, that's all. And when it's your turn to ride the bullet, maybe you ride, maybe you run. Either way it comes to the same thing. Fun is fun. And done is done. Nobody lives forever, but we all shine on.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Shooting the Bullet (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Time Of The Season

A Fun, Entertaining Mindjob

Not 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.