Dolores Claiborne
1995
*****
Director: Taylor Hackford
Cast: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, Judy Parfitt, Ellen Muth, David Strathairn, Eric Bogosian, John C. Reilly, Bob Gunton
Like Stand By Me and The Shawshank Redemption, this is another brilliant film based on Stephen King's non-horror writing. Kathy Bates (who made her breakthrough in Misery, another King adaptation) is phenomenal as an elderly woman who is accused of murdering her employer (Judy Parfitt in an equally impressive performance). However, this is not really a murder mystery but a touching family drama. The film is visually stunning and undoubtedly Taylor Hackford's best.
