This movie looked very promising at the beginning. I love snow storms and cold weather, I love Stephen King, and I love mini-series'. I also love Tim Daly from Wings, so I thought this was a sure bet. After an hour or so, I found myself not only NOT sympathizing with the character(s) anymore, but hoping the bad guy would win and kill them all.
This is just plain bad writing from King, no other way around it. He is usually really good at creating awesome characters that you relate to and sympathize with, but in this town everyone is so dumb and lifeless you start hating them quickly.
Example 1: Daly and citizen are walking the prisoner, who just savagely beat an old woman to death, into the jail which is located in, get ready, the grocery store. Ummm, what? I get that this is a VERY small town and they have no police department, but still, you don't put the jail in one of the most public places in town, where there is always many townsfolk inside. You put in in some other building where there are few people frequenting. Sooo, they get to the back door and it's jammed, so they have to walk him through the front and all the people stocking up for the storm. The cop tells everyone to stand clear and stay off aisle two, so what do these retarded people do? They stand on aisle two, leaving barely enough room to walk through. One idiotic townie is so busy gawking that she pays no attention to her kid, who runs around the aisle and smack into the killer. He picks up the kid and creeps everyone out, then they FINALLY get him into the back and the cop tells him to stand against the cell and spread-em so he can search him. Wait, what? He waits until AFTER he marches this vicious killer past the whole town before he searches him? Come on King, can you be any more retarded?
Example 2: Later, killer is in cell, cop and citizen are guarding. Killer is talking, pissing off the citizen who then proceeds to pick up the cops gun, which he left laying on the desk, and tries to shoot the killer. Committs attempted murder, but accidentally shoots THE COP! Almost kills the cop, who blacks out for a minute, gets up and checks his wound, which proves to be superficial, and all he has to say to this citizen is "I told you to keep a safe distance from him." Ho doesn't even seem mad at all! And what does the guys distance from the killer have to do with anything at all? HE picked up a gun and tried to kill him. Again, King, what the hell is wrong with you here?
All in all, this is some of the dumbest writing I've seen, including B-movies. I know this guy is not a REAL cop but a constable, but still... forget police protocol, this guy has no COMMON SENSE whatsoever, by any standards. These people are all so brainless and dull you just can't care for them at all.
This is just plain bad writing from King, no other way around it. He is usually really good at creating awesome characters that you relate to and sympathize with, but in this town everyone is so dumb and lifeless you start hating them quickly.
Example 1: Daly and citizen are walking the prisoner, who just savagely beat an old woman to death, into the jail which is located in, get ready, the grocery store. Ummm, what? I get that this is a VERY small town and they have no police department, but still, you don't put the jail in one of the most public places in town, where there is always many townsfolk inside. You put in in some other building where there are few people frequenting. Sooo, they get to the back door and it's jammed, so they have to walk him through the front and all the people stocking up for the storm. The cop tells everyone to stand clear and stay off aisle two, so what do these retarded people do? They stand on aisle two, leaving barely enough room to walk through. One idiotic townie is so busy gawking that she pays no attention to her kid, who runs around the aisle and smack into the killer. He picks up the kid and creeps everyone out, then they FINALLY get him into the back and the cop tells him to stand against the cell and spread-em so he can search him. Wait, what? He waits until AFTER he marches this vicious killer past the whole town before he searches him? Come on King, can you be any more retarded?
Example 2: Later, killer is in cell, cop and citizen are guarding. Killer is talking, pissing off the citizen who then proceeds to pick up the cops gun, which he left laying on the desk, and tries to shoot the killer. Committs attempted murder, but accidentally shoots THE COP! Almost kills the cop, who blacks out for a minute, gets up and checks his wound, which proves to be superficial, and all he has to say to this citizen is "I told you to keep a safe distance from him." Ho doesn't even seem mad at all! And what does the guys distance from the killer have to do with anything at all? HE picked up a gun and tried to kill him. Again, King, what the hell is wrong with you here?
All in all, this is some of the dumbest writing I've seen, including B-movies. I know this guy is not a REAL cop but a constable, but still... forget police protocol, this guy has no COMMON SENSE whatsoever, by any standards. These people are all so brainless and dull you just can't care for them at all.