Director: Mike Flanagan
Running Time: 1h 45m
Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas
Movie Score: 85%
*[0-50%-red (poor); 50-70%-yellow (average to good, better and promising); 70-90%-green (very good to great); 90-100%-blue (outstanding to perfect and a masterpiece)]
If I call it a ‘Stephen King year’, then it won’t be an injustice. But if you break it down to the big screen adaptations of his classy novels, which have been really-really worth experiencing, then there remain only two contenders. One is none other than Andy Muschietti’s humongous and splendid success ‘IT’, and the other? Mike Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game, which has got a Netflix release this week-though it was a bit less known to many.
Now, before I dwell deeper into Gerald’s Game-the synopsis first.
Gerald (Bruce Greenwood) and Jesse (Carla Gugino) are a married couple and want to spice up their intimate, sex life in bedroom by planning to go dirty during a weekend, at some place in countryside. Gerald has a game in which he will handcuff Jesse to the bed and then they will attempt their role plays-as decided by Gerald. But things go haywire and rather backfire when Gerald gets a heart attack, and is dead, during ‘their game’-leaving Jesse handcuffed, while still being on the bed.
Now, what can possibly happen?
Jesse must show a strong sense of braveness and courage to get out of this situation, while also suffering with her own psychic traumas.
If you have watched Mike Flanagan’s Hush from last year, then you must be knowing what kind of direction he does. Personally speaking, Hush is my one of the most loved horror/thrillers. But his another speciality is that, you can’t bring out the similarities in his films, to say that they are made by him-what a talent, unlike other film makers.
This is the case with Gerald’s Game. Here he has strongly sticked to Stephen King’s source material from his novel of the same name. In the Gerald’s Game, the ‘Hitchcockian style’ of Flanagan can be clearly seen while its suspense and creepy elements remain intact.
Both the leads are brilliant in their roles and especially Carla Gugino, as Jesse, is sheerly excellent as a woman who’s left in a dire situation after her husband is dead amid an intimate role playing drama! She will surely leave a lasting impression on your mind with her psychic tensions where she talks to herself and tries to deal with her dark past via flashbacks. Converting the idea of a thriller story building up at one single place, into a length of 105 minutes, is unbelievable and the director has done it effectively, with using unpredictability as a good means.
There is also Kate Siegel, the Hush star, in this intense thriller, playing the mother of Jesse.
Stephen King is known to use complex and vivid storytelling while also creating varied timelines in his stories. Flanagan’s use of his style of narrating Gerald’s Game is just the way it had to be for this film, to breathe a life onto the big-screen.
Although, the third act i.e. the climax is slightly slipping-yet it is convincing. The ending also contains some gruesome violence which will please the horror/blood loving fans and viewers.
After IT, which has been a roaring success (recently crossing the $500 MN mark), Gerald’s Game has the potential to become another “Super King” adaptation-if the audiences love it the same way as ‘IT’. It really deserves it.
Gerald’s Game has been released, already, on September 29th, worldwide-but via online channel Netflix. Nonetheless, just do watch it.
