1408 (2007) Review

1408 (2007) Review

                               

                                                           

Back in my review for Graveyard Shift, I said Stephen King’s short stories should only be adapted to full-length feature films by the writers/directors Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption) and/or Rob Reiner (Stand by Me), or not adapted at all, because most of the time, they aren’t good. I was surprised and pleased to find 1408 can be added to the short list of successful efforts.  

John Cusack plays Mike Enslin, a writer with many hallmarks of what often makes a great writer: he has a troubled past, a fondness for alcohol, and a biting sarcastic wit. When we first meet him in the movie, his career is built upon staying at supposedly haunted hotels, then writing about them, though it’s hinted that he used to write more meaningful books earlier on, and it’s made apparent from a book signing he begrudgingly attends that his fans are losing interest in his work, and so is he. 

He gets a postcard in the mail from the Dolphin Hotel, which has a room (you guessed it, room 1408) that’s haunted and no one can stay in it for more than an hour. Many have died there, but Mike is certain he can survive a night inside and live to write about it. Even after much hesitation from the entire staff, especially the hotel manager, played by Samuel L. Jackson, he gets to stay in the room. At first it’s fine, but things start getting…strange—and that’s all I’ll say about the plot, because I don’t want to spoil the rest of what is actually quite a well-crafted psychological thriller.  

As I’ve said before, acting is subjective. I can see how people might think John Cusack’s performance is not very good—he isn’t overly expressive for much of the movie, and often quite droll and distant—but I thought he was really excellent. I understood his pessimism regarding the supernatural, his frustration as a writer stuck in one genre with a dwindling fan base (perhaps Stephen King pulled some of these elements from his own career) and as you get to know more about the character, his distantness begins to make more sense. 

Despite being on the poster and having been promoted as a big part of the movie, Samuel L. Jackson’s role is relatively small. This is John Cusack’s movie, and he carries it all the way along. There are many scenes with just him in the hotel, but thanks to his performance and the dynamic camera movements, the environment doesn’t ever get stale and the character never boring. 

While watching this, of course it’s impossible not to think about another famous Stephen King tale set in a haunted hotel, The Shining, and while 1408 shares many similarities with it, the story doesn’t feel like a retread. There’s a lot less history about this hotel and little exploration as to why it’s supposedly haunted—it’s more to do with the main character and his history. 

This movie is difficult to review without getting into spoilers, so without being too specific, I’ll explain what I found were some of its weaknesses. The premise is set up really well, and the strange occurrences begin simply. Some of them are pretty inventive, but many have been used in other movies. Still, the build-up works, to a point, but then I found myself questioning certain actions the character was or wasn’t taking. For instance, the doorknob breaks off, so he’s stuck in the room. However, he never tries very hard to break the door down, instead opting for what seem like more desperate attempts at escape. 

But then, there’s the question of whether he’s going crazy or if it’s actually supernatural. I really liked this aspect of the story, but after a while, things escalated to a point where I didn’t think they could escalate any higher, and toward the end, a very cliché storytelling technique is used, and it’s quite obvious the filmmakers were trying to broadside the audience with an overused twist, so I found myself waiting impatiently for a reveal I knew was coming so it could get to the real ending. 

Ultimately, the ending isn’t totally satisfying, but given how great the first and second acts of this movie are, it was a tough task to end the story in a way that would work and be acceptable, and I think they did a serviceable job, but the conclusion may have been stronger if the movie was a little shorter and ended a little sooner (without the unnecessary misdirection). There are actually three alternate endings, which I haven’t seen, but from reading their descriptions, it doesn’t sound like any of them would’ve been much more satisfying. 

While probably not destined to be a classic by any means, 1408 is still a smartly-executed thriller with a great lead performance and a few unexpected twists. Though some elements are familiar, it ultimately doesn’t degrade the entertainment value.