Riding the Bullet (2004)

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:

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:

Continuity: 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:

George Staub: POW! He painted miss November with his brain.

Movie Connections:

References Misery (1990)

Soundtrack:

Incense And Peppermints

"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.