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Film: Needful Things
Year: 1993
Director: Fraser C. Heston
Writer: W.D. Richter
Starring: Max von Sydow, Ed Harris and Bonnie Bedelia
Review:
This was a film that I remember growing up, but never actually saw. There was a trailer on a VHS I owned so parts of that stuck with me. I always wanted to watch this and even more after reading the Stephen King novel this is based off when I was in a high school. The concept was intriguing and it was always on my list of films I had to check out. I finally did for the Podcast Under the Stairs’ Summer Challenge Series and now as part of my Traverse through the Threes.
Synopsis: a mysterious new shop opens in a small town which always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, with a price far heavier than expected.
We are set in the fictional place of Castle Rock, Maine. It seems like an idyllic coastal town, but like a duck on water, everything seems calm on the surface, but underneath there are its legs going and creating waves. There’s a new shop in town that is run by Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) called Needful Things. There’s buzz as to be expected since there isn’t much going on here aside from the normal day to day.
There’s a little diner that is run by Polly Chalmers (Bonnie Bedelia). She is seeing the local sheriff Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris). He comes in that day and asks her to marry him. She doesn’t believe it at first but comes around when she sees it’s real. Working for Polly is Nettie Cobb (Amanda Plummer). She’s an interesting character as she is very nervous, but there’s a rumor she killed her husband in self-defense.
Wilma Jerzyck (Valri Bromfield) runs a local turkey farm with her husband Pete (Frank C. Turner). She doesn’t like Nettie’s dog and this causes them to have some run-ins as well. At the local jail, Deputy Norris Ridgewick (Ray McKinnon) has his own tiff with the head selectman, Danforth Keeton III (J.T. Walsh). Danforth is upset about a ticket he was given for parking in a handicap space and it gets even worse when Norris slips up and calls him Buster, a nickname he despises. Thankfully, Alan shows up in time to break them up.
Things all take a turn for the worse though when Needful Things officially opens. Brian Rusk (Shane Meier) is one of the first customers and Leland asks what he most desires. It turns out to be a Mickey Mantle 1956 Topps card. Leland just happens to have one and oddly enough, it is autographed to Brian. This teen doesn’t have a lot of money, but Leland accepts the 96 cents as half and needs him to do him a favor. The favor is dark though. He wants Brian to throw mud mixed with turkey poop all over the Jerzyck laundry. Others from the town come in and are given similar favors for items they most want. The problem though, in everyone’s rage, they don’t stop to think about who is doing these things to them but jump to conclusions as to who they don’t like. All the while, Leland is recording everyone’s names into a little black book. This is the first time that he’s done this. The town of Castle Rock will never quite be the same again.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is saying that the concept is relevant even today. That was one thing that drew me into the novel and I was hoping this adaptation would be as good. I’m not going to compare the two much, because to be honest, it’s been a long time since I read it. I’ll be honest there; I don’t remember a lot of the ins and outs. I just knew that I loved it.
The concept I’m referring to is part commercialism and part humans are garbage. I know this is a bleak thing to say, but I believe what we get here could happen. To an extent, I believe that it does. These people see an item that they think they need, even though none of them really do and the things that they get don’t bring them anything but pride to have it. It makes sense though as the saying is pride before the fall. Even more than that, the tasks everyone is given to do isn’t against a person they hate. I feel that absolves them in their head of what they’re doing. The problem becomes that, when you do these things, there’s still a reaction. I also want a warning here; Polly’s issue is her severe arthritis. What she is given does alleviate the pain.
Something else that I love is the corruption of religion. Father Meehan (William Morgan Sheppard) is the local catholic priest and he buys are chalice from Leland. Reverend Rose (Don S. Davis) is the Baptist minister and from what I gather, he buys art that is erotic. This makes me laugh because I know people who hide behind religion. The two of them hate each other and I think this is a great aspect to include. We always think that those who preach their religion are holier, but this shows they’re just men as well with Earthly desires. I love this commentary here.
The only person who is truly pure of heart is Alan. He refuses to get anything from Leland, telling him he has everything that he needs. I think he just wants Polly and he is close to having her after she accepts his proposal. We get a bit of his back-story which explains why he’s a sullen character. Something happened when he was a police officer in a bigger city. There’s also a great back story for Leland’s as well, which is a bit outrageous at times, but I love that’s been doing things like this all over. There’s also a great line with him late that was unsettling.
Since I’ve brought up the characters, I want to go over the acting which is good. Sydow is just amazing as Leland. He has that creepiness, but he also is disarming. He comes off as this wise old man. There’s something sinister underneath. I did find the connection with him and Polly to not work for me. There is that idea that since he is evil and she tastes the forbidden fruit that it corrupts her. Harris was also solid in his performance. I do believe him as Sheriff Pangborn and I like the fact that he can see what is happening but can’t prove it. That stems from the interaction with Brian. Meier worked as this teen. I love the strain that he shows as what he’s done weighs on him. Bedelia was solid as was Plummer. Her role as Nettie is great with how nervous she portrays it. I would say that the rest of the cast rounds out the film for what was needed with shout outs to Walsh, McKinnon, Sheppard, Bromfield, Davis and Lane.
Let me then go over to pacing. I do think that it is a bit long, but while watching it, there’s not a lot that I could imagine cutting out as you need it to build the suspense. It does work in that respect for me as well. It is scary to think that doing these little things could set people off, but we are harboring hatred for others. It just shows that all need is to light that fuse and it could happen as we get here. I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, as it is a bit too redemptive for my tastes. I do like the implications though of Leland at the end and what he says to Alan. There are cheesy things that happen with weapons I could have done without. It does make sense though for what Leland wants to have happen that someone needs to supply them.
I’ll then close out with the rest of the filmmaking aspects. There weren’t a lot in the way of effects. They do go practical with what they could which worked. The best thing they do is to let us see Leland closer to his true form when he’s alone. It is subtle, but when he is writing his in book his has long nasty fingernails and his teeth are gross. I like this idea that he is evil, but that he can give the look like us and it’s just dark changes to his form. There’s some computer enhanced effects with electricity and lighting that I had no issue with. The cinematography is solid. There were any issues I had with the framing or shots. All that is left is the soundtrack. It doesn’t stand out or hurt the film. I did want to comment is something we come back to at the bar. Hugh Priest (Duncan Fraser) gets mad because the jukebox keeps skipping and repeating. He goes over to kick it and this annoys the proprietor. That sets up an interesting conflict we come back to.
In conclusion, even though I remember the book being better, I still think this is a solid adaptation. It is crazy it took me 25+ years to sit down to see it, but I’m glad I did. This is relevant in that we are a slave to things and that when given the chance, we would do bad deeds to get it. I think that the acting of the film helps to bring the characters to life. It is paced well and builds tension for a film that runs for two hours. I don’t love the ending but the implications with the Leland character and what he tells Alan is eerie. This is well-made from the cinematography to the effects. The soundtrack doesn’t necessarily stand out, but I like the things they do within the world of the movie. I’d recommend this to King fans as this is a solid adaptation to a lesser talked about work from him.
My Rating: 8 out of 10