Riding the Bullet (2004)

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.

Director:

Mick Garris

Writers:

Mick Garris (screenplay), Stephen King (novel)

Stars:

Jonathan Jackson, David Arquette, Cliff Robertson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A young man hitchhiking back home to visit his mother is picked up by a mysterious stranger. As the ride goes on, the young man uncovers a terrible secret about the stranger, and is given a choice by the stranger. A choice that can mean life or death.

---

Plot Keywords:

hospital | suicide attempt | drug | obsession | severed head | 

---

Taglines:

The dead travel fast

---

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Country:

USA Germany Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 2005 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Stephen King's Riding the Bullet

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$101,107 (USA) (15 October 2004)

Gross:

$101,107 (USA) (15 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA), ApolloProMedia GmbH & Co. 1. Filmproduktion KG (I), Motion Picture Corporation of Europe (MPCE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the short story, George Staub's car was a Ford Mustang. The filmmakers decided to go with a red and white Plymouth as a nod to Stephen King's Christine. However Christine was a 1958 Plymouth Fury and George's car was a 1960 Plymouth Fury.

---

Goofs

In the scene where Alan waits for the train to go past, there are "double stack" inter-modal cars on the train as well as an "End-of-Train-Unit" or "SBU" (Sense and Braking Unit, which replaced the cabooses). Both of these things came into use in the 1980s and this movie is supposed to take place in 1969.

---

Quotes

Jessica Hadley: Now, who loves you?
Alan Parker: My mom.
Jessica Hadley: Who else?
Alan Parker: Ehm, baby Jesus?
Jessica Hadley: Funny. Who else?
Alan Parker: You?
Jessica Hadley: I guess you've got prove of that, don't you?

---

Crazy Credits

FOR MOM, DAD, and CRAIG.

---

Connections

References Misery (1990)

---

Soundtracks

"Pushin' Too Hard"
Written by Sky Saxon
Performed by The Seeds
Courtesy of GNP Crescendo Records
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

"For the dead travel fast."

It 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.