Review by Bindi Lavelle
It cannot be denied, Stephen King is one talented beast. He is the most adapted author aside from maybe Shakespeare, and watching Misery it is easy to see why: the dude tells a great tale.
In Misery we see writer Paul Sheldon, played by a personal fave of mine James Caan, taken in by his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates in probably her best known role) following a car crash that leaves poor old Paul bed ridden and at Annie's mercy.
While Annie is a trained nurse, she is somewhat unhinged; she torches and torments Paul into writing a new book, just for her featuring a character he killed off, which needles to say she isn't happy about.
The film's constant air of unease is what drives the tension; the uneven power balance where the carer is also the tormenter provides plenty of suspense and a couple of memorable shocks too.
Rob Riener, better know for work like, This is Spinal Tap and When Harry met Sally flexes his horror muscle to great effect. And the two leads play off each other with precision, Kathy Bates performance even won her an Oscar.
For a solid character driven thriller, look no further than Misery.7.5/10