Riding the Bullet

R

Released Oct 15, 2004

1h 38m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

List

23%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

34%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

Ever since his father passed away, art student Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) has been hypnotized by thoughts of death. After his girlfriend, Jessica (Erika Christensen), breaks up with him, Alan attempts suicide but is rescued by his friends. The next day, he learns that his mother (Barbara Hershey) has just had a serious stroke, and he sets out to hitchhike to her hospital. Along the way, he meets a series of strange people, including sinister George Staub (David Arquette), who may be Satan.

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Critics Consensus

Stephen King adaptation veteran director Mick Garris has lofty storytelling goals which ultimately flail and undercut the story's terror.

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Justin Chang

Variety

A ponderous, incoherent horror mishmash that turns King's short story into utter nonsense.

Oct 21, 2004

Full Review

Kevin Crust

Los Angeles Times

The movie is so glum and flat-footed there's no reason to care.

Rated: 1.5/5

Oct 20, 2004

Full Review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Hollywood Reporter

Both the anticipation factor and writer-director Mick Garris' slick adaptation fail to live up to the old hype.

Oct 19, 2004

Full Review

Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

A very sub-par series of clunky ideas about mortality, none of which amount to a decent horror film.

Nov 1, 2014

Full Review

Sean Clark

Dread Central

Riding the Bullet is a film that will likely appeal to more non-horror fans...

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 23, 2006

Full Review

Film Threat

Rated: 3.5/5

Dec 6, 2005

Full Review

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Howard H

Watching footage of "the bullet" on YouTube for an equal runtime would be more riveting and plot driven than this film.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/22/23

Full Review

Miss Malibu N

I watched this movie 5 times and still have absolutely no clue what on earth this is about. Apparently nobody else could figure it out either. I love the sound track though.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/23

Full Review

Milan M

Huge Stephen king fan. This definitely belongs to the psychological thriller lovers.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/23

Full Review

steve d

A convoluted mess with nothing interesting going on.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

adam b

The story was intriguing but that damn director doesn't know how to direct a film. Lost me on all fronts and honestly, one of the worst Stephen King adaptations I've even seen (although that's not saying much considering I still somewhat enjoyed some of this film)

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I am a huge fan of Stephan kings short stories and novels and this particular short story which was published in the book "everything's eventual" was one of my all time favorites. The movie made changes that didn't make the story better but worse. Like having the main character suicidal (not in the book) and having the ghost George stubs manner of death being that he was in a car accident. Instead, in the book, he says he rode the bullet and was decapitated while riding it. This makes way more sense and connects with the billboard he sees. They didn't need to add a girlfriend either. The original story was excellent on it's now without these silly changes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

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Mick Garris

Director

Jonathan Jackson

Alan Parker

David Arquette

George Staub

Cliff Robertson

Farmer

Barbara Hershey

Jean Parker

Erika Christensen

Jessica

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3%

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60%

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15%

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40%

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Identity

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Synopsis

Ever since his father passed away, art student Alan Parker (Jonathan Jackson) has been hypnotized by thoughts of death. After his girlfriend, Jessica (Erika Christensen), breaks up with him, Alan attempts suicide but is rescued by his friends. The next day, he learns that his mother (Barbara Hershey) has just had a serious stroke, and he sets out to hitchhike to her hospital. Along the way, he meets a series of strange people, including sinister George Staub (David Arquette), who may be Satan.

Director: Mick Garris
Producer: Mick Garris, David Lancaster, Greg Malcolm, Vicki Sotheran, Brad Krevoy, Joel T. Smith
Screenwriter: Stephen King, Mick Garris
Distributor: Innovation Film Group
Production Co: Motion Picture Corporation of America, ApolloMedia
Rating: R (Drug Use|Disturbing Images|Language|Some Nudity|Violence)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $101.1K
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround

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