Do NOT like him as Bob. Plus, in the book, Stephen King goes out of his way to make sure we know and can feel what a good man Bob is - didn't do enough of that in the movie, unfortunately.
Yeah, the movie definitely doesn't portray Bob as a nice guy, more like a smarmy used car salesman. Disappoint.
Why, yes, actually, I AM a thread-killer.
Very dull film, the events had little to no emotional impact whatsoever when all is said and done. I wouldn't recommend this to thriller fans, it fails to gain and sustain any worthwhile levels of suspense and feels longer than it actually is, ending much like that of a damp firecracker.
shareI'm inclined to agree...it was pretty blah, unfortunately.
Why, yes, actually, I AM a thread-killer.
I guess I won't rush to see it. Maybe Big Driver will be better. Sometimes adapting your own work can backfire. I think Richard Christian Matheson will do a better job with Big Driver's teleplay.
shareAbsolutely 100% agree.
The genius of the written story is that the horror comes not from reading what's written, the horror comes from the disturbing realization that you're empathizing with the husband. By empathizing with the husband you're putting a very human face on a very depraved and savage killer. And that's a dark place to go to.
Didn't get that at all with the film.
I was also dispappointed with Anthony LaPaglia's portrayal as Bob, but I'm not sure if it was LaPaglia's fault or the script's.
I expected to see so much more from Bob's character. In the book, he's not just a cold killer. When he confesses the murders to Darcy, he is sad, and at the same time, you can tell that he really loves her and cares for her. He's a dangerous murderer, who, however, loved his wife so much that he was willing to stop the killings for her - although that was only for a certain period and not forever, but still... I didn't get that from the movie. In the movie, he was talking about his fantasies without any expression, really, and seemed like he didn't even care. I couldn't get what were his emotions and I never even felt that he loved her. That was a huge drawback of the movie, for me.
Couldn't help noticing the irony. King famously hated Kubrick's Shining because he felt Nicholson started off crazy and that the humanity of Jack Torrance in the book was never depicted. Well, King does the same here when LaPaglia comes home and starts monologuing as the casual, nonchalant serial killer. That moment with his longtime wife should make him emotionally vulnerable and apologetic, because this is his wife not some random person he's going to kill. It's only in the movie's second half, with the wedding and other scenes that Bob gets the qualities of a regular guy Darcy would marry. I'm trying to figure out if this was deliberate on the filmmakers part as a way to subvert horror tropes.
shareI usually do like Anthony LaPaglia. He's great, but I have to agree that I never would have imagined him as Bob Anderson. I can't understand why he was chosen for this "nice" All American guy role.
It would have been so much better, had he been a sweetheart instead of this control freak who left all of these notes around the house for his wife..... adjusting the mirror before sex and begging her to be on top so he could watch.... putting down women in front of his daughter...
Had he been more like he was in the book, it may have shown the great contrast when Darcy found out what he really was.