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Needful Things (1993)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
27 August 1993 (USA) moreTagline:
Now it's time to pay! morePlot:
Leland Gaunt comes to Sheriff Alan Pangborn's pleasant little New England town, and opens a store. What this kindly Satan sells is whatever you need... more | add synopsisAwards:
1 win & 3 nominations moreUser Comments:
Could have been better, could have been worse moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Max von Sydow | ... | Leland Gaunt (as Max Von Sydow) |
 | Ed Harris | ... | Sheriff Alan Pangborn |
 | Bonnie Bedelia | ... | Polly Chalmers |
 | Amanda Plummer | ... | Nettie Cobb |
 | J.T. Walsh | ... | Danforth Keeton III |
 | Ray McKinnon | ... | Deputy Norris Ridgewick |
 | Duncan Fraser | ... | Hugh Priest |
 | Valri Bromfield | ... | Wilma Jerzyck |
| Shane Meier | ... | Brian Rusk |
 | William Morgan Sheppard | ... | Father Meehan (as W. Morgan Sheppard) |
 | Don S. Davis | ... | Reverend Rose |
| Campbell Lane | ... | Frank Jewett |
| Eric Schneider | ... | Henry Beaufort |
 | Frank C. Turner | ... | Pete Jerzyck |
 | Gillian Barber | ... | Myrtle Keeton |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
120 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #32447)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The original cut of the film ran 180 minutes. It was heavily edited down to 120 minutes for theatrical release. The uncut version does occasionally air on cable television, though it has yet to see a video release. moreGoofs:
Continuity: In the opening scene, Sheriff Pangborn comes to the door of the "Dot" Restaurant. He has a band-aid around his index finger. When he gets inside of the restaurant, the band-aid has disappeared. moreQuotes:
Leland Gaunt: When I started out I was just a peddler moving across the blind face of a distant land. Moving, always moving. Always gone... and in the end I'd always offer weapons. And they'd always take them. Of course I was gone before they realized what they'd purchased. moreSoundtrack:
Great Balls Of Fire moreFAQ
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"Needful Things" is a typical mediocre Stephen King adaptation. The drawn out book itself isn't among King's best work. Still, the fascination of the story lies in the detail and that had to be trimmed down for a 2 hours-movie version (there is another cut of the movie that's one hour longer, by the way). A lot of things had to be kicked out, but there was way too much changing around of events, items and characters. Ace Merril, a very important character for the novel's big finale, was ignored completely, for instance. I could understand things like that if they improved the movie. Kubrick made a lot of changes with his version of "Shining" and at least one could see why. With "Needful Things" the changes seem totally random and that's rather annoying for someone who has read the book.
If you don't know the story beforehand the movie will probably still seem rushed. You can't really make a connection with the many characters and Sheriff Alan Pangborn finding out what's going on in the town seems unbelievable. It didn't really work in the book, but in the movie it's just stupid that he would draw such far fetched conclusions so quickly.
The acting, on the other hand, is solid. Max von Sydow is a good choice for the part of Leland Gaunt, and Ed Harris is great as ever, although he has to work with a rather mediocre script. The sidecharacters are okay for the most part, even though Polly Chalmers and Wilma Jerzyck are maybe exaggerated.
Unlike a lot of latter King adaptations this one seems to have been made with a decent budget. The locations look good and there are a few nice special effects. At times the explosions and the score can be too much, though. It's as if director Fraser Clarke Heston realized his movie wasn't turning out as exciting as he hoped, so he decided to blow it up with some dramatic music and fire.
Well, as I've said in the headline. This movie could have been a lot better, but it could also have been a complete failure. As it is, it's good for one viewing but if you've read the novel you're going to be disappointed.