DOLAN'S CADILLAC

Elizabeth witnesses the execution of some immigrants destined for the prostitution market by the boss Jimmy Dolan. Elizabeth manages to escape but loses her cell phone, which is recovered by the criminal. The woman decides to testify against Dolan, but the latter manages to track her down and, despite police protection, manages to kill her before the trial. Robinson, Elizabeth's husband, begins to devise a way to take revenge on his own, since without the woman's testimony there is no evidence against Dolan. The man, therefore, decides to use against the criminal one of the things he is most attached to: the Cadillac he always travels in. Years pass, fashions change, but the interest that cinema has towards the literature of Stephen King is always unchanging. The prolific writer from Maine has undisputed talents that have often not been supported by the cinematic adaptations of his writings, but sometimes his own works wallow in mediocrity even on paper. This is the case of "Dolan’s Cadillac," a short story published within the anthology "Nightmares and Delirium" which today has a cinematic adaptation just as mediocre, if not worse. The narrative premises of "Dolan’s Cadillac" were good, after all, it took the most classic – but always effective – structure of the revenge/private justice film, slightly decorating it with paranormal suggestions (the ghost of the woman seeking revenge) and a desert setting (almost) unprecedented for the genre. Unfortunately, all that is good is disappointed by a series of banalities and serious blunders that were partly already present in King's story. First of all is the revenge devised by the protagonist, which I obviously will not reveal to you to avoid spoiling the surprise, but know that it is so improbable and with a "preparation" conducted in such a superficial manner that it really undermines any attempt at suspension of disbelief. To carry out Robinson's plan, a team of workers, a lot of time available, specific materials, and the certainty not only that no one will be passing through the area of interest for the entire (long) preparation time and after, but that the victim will not notice the obvious trap before falling into it. Too many variables that play against the "avenger" for the plan to succeed and that, above all, result in being minimally credible. Much of the blame for the flaws that plague "Dolan’s Cadillac" goes to the screenwriter Richard Dooling, already "dependent" on King for the TV series "Kingdom Hospital," who seems unable to adapt the previous material with feature-length language. Thus, one tends to gloss over many elements that should have been deepened (such as Robinson's work at the construction site), at the risk of a script hole. The work done on the characters is also far from satisfactory, all too superficial, starting with the husband-avenger who does not seem sufficiently motivated and involved by the events. But in this case, a demerit note should also be given to the actors. If Emmanuelle Vaugier ("Saw II") is irrelevant, Wes Bentley ("-2: Level of Terror") is really bad, with the same expression halfway between surprised and dazed for the entire duration of the film. It is noticeable, however, that Christian Slater ("Schegge di follia") has tried more than the others to give depth to his character, but, beyond the acting skills already scarce, the actor seems particularly unsuited for the part. All of this is also not helped by the TV director Jeff Beesley who signs the work with absolute stylistic anonymity. Add that "Dolan’s Cadillac" settles on particularly slow, sometimes soporific rhythms, and you will have another reason not to be pushed to obtain this film.