General assessment

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Neil W

Well-Known Member
May 27, 2008
1,203
2,592
Isle of Wight UK
When his wife is killed by mobster Dolan after she witnessed him committing murder, grief-stricken Robinson hatches a plan to exact retribution. You see, Dolan regularly drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and sometimes there are roadworks...

Dolan's Cadillac is one of Stephen King's simplest short stories, lovingly crafted around a number of technical issues the answers to which were supplied to him by his big brother. Those technicalities are not necessary in the film - what happens happens, we see it but we don't need to know exactly how - and, instead, other aspects of the story are amplified (and, indeed, added). The main story beats remain consistent, however.

Christian Slater treads a fine line between inhuman urbanity and crazed loon as Dolan's fate unfolds. Wes Bentley is fine as the grieving and somewhat unhinged Robinson, and Emmanuelle Vaugier is adequate as the doomed Elizabeth.

This film passes the time but is otherwise fairly unmemorable.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I've somehow managed to never see this movie.....how the hell did I manage that? Ok, I've off to find it now....
Me neither @ghost19 , but I remember the book well and thought it was very clever - so now, like you, I guess I shall try to order a copy. I think it is in my local library.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
When his wife is killed by mobster Dolan after she witnessed him committing murder, grief-stricken Robinson hatches a plan to exact retribution. You see, Dolan regularly drives between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and sometimes there are roadworks...

Dolan's Cadillac is one of Stephen King's simplest short stories, lovingly crafted around a number of technical issues the answers to which were supplied to him by his big brother. Those technicalities are not necessary in the film - what happens happens, we see it but we don't need to know exactly how - and, instead, other aspects of the story are amplified (and, indeed, added). The main story beats remain consistent, however.

Christian Slater treads a fine line between inhuman urbanity and crazed loon as Dolan's fate unfolds. Wes Bentley is fine as the grieving and somewhat unhinged Robinson, and Emmanuelle Vaugier is adequate as the doomed Elizabeth.

This film passes the time but is otherwise fairly unmemorable.

Fairly unmemorable? I recorded it last night and the rating it got (according to TV anyway) was four stars! Christian Slater was good and the main character (Dolan) was very believable. I would recommend this movie

 

Robert Gray

Well-Known Member
I hated this film with ever fiber of my being. I should caveat that with the fact that I'm a purist and think the story of a poor, widowed schoolteacher nursing his hate for years and years to finally come up with a caper that allows him to make the creep who took his wife from him suffer and pay was a much better story. What they showed on film gutted everything from the character in the book that was of any importance. I will agree to disagree with those who enjoyed the film because even taking it on its own merits and pretending the book didn't exist, I don't think it was particularly compelling or consistent with itself.
 
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Arbitrary Refrain

Active Member
Jan 5, 2016
25
113
42
Been a while since I saw it, but I remember thinking that Wes Bentley was just too young to portray the character I had in my head from the short story. I also thought that Christian Slater 'phoned it in' a bit with the old crazy Jack Nicholson impression - Dolan wasn't a big enough threat for me. Didn't hate the film though - as has already been said, it was enjoyable enough to pass the time.
 

Machine's Way

“Go then, there are other worlds than these.”
Jul 13, 2009
671
2,877
44
Baltimore
Umm, I watched this the other night and Christian Slater is absolutely AWFUL in this. Like cringe worthy awful. This was worse than made for TV movies. This was seriously an empty shell of what should of been quite a simple adaption. I have to say, I do not recommend this to anyone.
 

Tilly

Well-Known Member
Sep 23, 2017
435
1,629
62
I've read that short story many times. From these reviews, I don't want to spoil how much I like the story and the imagery I have had in my mind for a very long time.
 
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