Dolores Claiborne was accused of killing her abusive husband twenty years ago, but the court's findings were inconclusive and she was allowed to walk free. Now she has been accused of killing her employer, Vera Donovan, and this time there is a witness who can place her at the scene of the crime. Things look bad for Dolores when her daughter Selena, a successful Manhattan magazine writer, returns to cover the story.
Acting
Bates and Leigh's kitchen confrontation—career-best for both.
Direction
Hackford's eclipse sequence: horror without showing anything.
Writing
Tony Gilroy's script improves massively on King's novel.
Director
Taylor Hackford
Kathy Bates
Dolores Claiborne
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Selena St. George
Judy Parfitt
Vera Donovan
Christopher Plummer
John Mackey
David Strathairn
Joe St. George
Eric Bogosian
Peter
John C. Reilly
Const. Frank Stamshaw
Ellen Muth
Young Selena
Bob Gunton
Mr. Pease
Roy Cooper
Magistrate
Wayne Robson
Sammy Marchant
Ruth Marshall
Secretary
Tom Gallant
Searcher
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stephen King called this his favorite adaptation of his work—high praise from a man who's been adapted 70+ times.
The film inverts the usual King formula: instead of supernatural evil entering a family, it's patriarchal violence, and the 'monster' is the only one who survives it.
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Reactions from the web
I cant believe this movie didn't get a single acting nomination 😳
@blindfoldme4841 69
Seen it as a teenager Deserved an Oscar
@eliranpinhasov5940 16
I wanted to watch "Misery" again tonight but mixed it up with this movie. WOW extremely powerful!!!!!
@wow_its_sanders 20
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