Gerald’s Game has never been one of my favourite King novels, hence I have only read it once when it came out. I had a basic memory of the plot but not much in ways of where the personal calamity that befalls the lady at the beginning was going or how it ends. Suffice to say, when the opening scenes happened, I felt deeply uncomfortable, to the point of wondering whether I really liked the idea of Jessie being tied to a bed post. I was shouting (silently) “No, don’t, not the cuffs!”, but she was not listening, and things started to happen. Thanks to two great actors (Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood), this worked terribly well. It is a chamber piece that conveys the horror of being stuck in an uncomfortable place all too well. Jessie’s memories, her inner monologues, her virtual escape buddies… I was captivated and rooted for her. And for the dog. I am inclined to pick up the book again to see especially how those dark places in her past that she mulls over play out when given more space. As a tight little bit of tension cinema (or Netflix-pic, rather), this was done very well.
thomas4cinema 