![]() ![]() ![]() Paul and Annie’s relationship is meant to be that of a tortured prisoner and his cruel jailer. ![]() It’s tense, but not in the way the Stephen King novel upon which the film is based was written, and arguably not in the way that Reiner intended. Caan’s performance rarely communicates fear, which clips Misery’s wings in a way that makes it difficult for the film to recover. (To clarify, I’m talking about the audience’s perception of the power balance, because the film makes it clear that Annie is as strong as an ox.) A recent stage adaptation of Misery followed the same line of thinking, casting Bruce Willis as Paul opposite Laurie Metcalf as Annie.īut the subversion ultimately doesn’t work. Audiences weren’t used to seeing Sonny Corleone trapped in a situation he couldn’t punch his way out of, and in Misery, he is at the mercy of someone he should normally be able to overpower. Paul is physically helpless for the entire movie his legs are shattered, his shoulder is busted, and Annie is trying her best to keep him doped up. You can see the thought process behind Caan’s casting – it’s a subversion of his “tough guy” persona. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |