Directed by: Tom Holland
Starring: Robert John Burke, Michael Constantine, Lucinda Jenney, Joe Mantegna, Kari Wuhrer
Thinner has a creepy, doomed noir energy to it which works steadily and effectively. It is not among the most well-known Stephen King works adapted into a feature film, but it captures the macabre King spirit. Maybe because of its obscurity, there is no burden of expectation and Thinner is free to roam around in the darkness.
Thinner's main character is obese attorney Billy Halleck (Burke), who represents powerful mobsters like Richie Ginelli (Mantegna) and uses his friendship with the local judge and police chief to have his clients acquitted. One night on the way home from dinner, Billy accidentally runs over an elderly gypsy woman and kills her. Turns out she is the daughter (?) of local gypsy clan leader Tad Lempke (Constantine) known for wandering and casting spells. Billy is tried in a show trial in which his acquittal is a foregone conclusion. Lempke (with a boil on his nose for good measure) touches Billy's face outside, whispers the word "thinner," and goes on his way.
Billy drops close to 100 pounds in a month despite eating everything in sight. His doctors marvel at his weight loss, while Billy has a nagging feeling something else is at play. However, the judge and police chief drop out of sight as well, each having a confrontation with Lempke and having their own curses thrust upon them. Billy's curse is relatively tame compared to theirs, but perhaps because the old man wants Billy's suffering to last longer.
The overwhelming feeling you experience while watching Thinner is dread and a sense of hopelessness. You even feel a bit sorry for a selfish creep like Billy because no one should have to wither away before our very eyes. Stephen King's best works take place in ordinary small town settings while something far from mundane happens below the surface waiting to explode. Do you think Billy, after all is resolved, learns his lesson? Doubt it.
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