Let's be realistic.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Leland Gaunt has come the whole way from Akron to Castle Rock to open an antique store called "Needful Things." Everything he sells gives you exactly what you want, but you need to pay him back with a favor. If that's not the most Stephen King sentence ever — minus 50's slang like daddy-o or references to comics and rock and roll — then I'm not sure what is.This 1993 movie was directed by the baby Moses. No, seriously, director Fraser C. Heston played that role alongside his father in The Ten Commandments.Anyways, Leland (Max von Sydow, who will forever be Ming from Flash Gordon) gets the townsfolk to play pranks on one another, like when Brian Rusk has to play one on Wilma Wadlowski Jerzyck (Valri Bromfield, former comedy partner of Dan Ackroyd and one of the first Second City stage members) for a Mickey Mantle card. Or how he helps Danforth Keeton pay off his gambling debts. From books that people have always dreamed of to helping continue the rivalry between a Catholic priest and a Baptist minister, Leland's objects get into the hands of nearly everyone in town.This brings everyone into conflict with one another, in particular, the battle between Nettie Cobb (Amanda Plummer, So I Married an Axe Murderer) and Wilma, which is so intense that they end up killing one another.Leland even cozies up to Sheriff Pangborn by giving his fiancée Polly (Bonnie Bedelia, Die Hard, Salem's Lot) a necklace that cures her arthritis. When Pangborn tries to warn Polly that Leland may not be what he seems, Gaunt ends up seducing her and reveals to her that the Sheriff has been stealing money from the town, so she breaks off their engagement. Read more at bandsaboutmovies.com

When I started to watch 'Needful Things' my thoughts were quite negative. I always have problems with Stephen King's novels, because their endings are often poor. The same thing happened with 'Needful Things' - the whole book was excellent, but the final encounter - in my opinion - was silly and quite stupid. So when I was watching this movie I was sure they won't be able to capture the essence of this story in only two hours, but they did. And in my opinion, they did it very well. They kept almost all of the characters, that bought something in Leland Gaunt's shop - and they chose the good ones. It was very good move for the plot, if they would put every customer it would be too much to follow. The customer's visions were very well captured. The final encounter is different than in the novel, but it's definitely better and simpler with good taste. The sound and camera work is great in whole movie. Music is wonderful and has great dark devilish accent. The casting people made very good job. The actors are perfect for their parts. Max von Sydow made excellent performance as main dark character and captured it's essence with real grace.For me this movie is very good adaptation of King's novel, probably the best one I will ever seen.

The day to day lives of the good people of Castle Rock, Maine are shook up by a new arrival. Leland Gaunt (Max von Sydow) is a charming, dashing figure who opens up a curiosity shop named Needful Things. This place can basically give you whatever object you desire the most. Naturally, there's a very heavy price to be paid for obtaining these items... Soon the flustered sheriff, Alan Pangborn (Ed Harris) is having to deal with a town full of madmen and madwomen who are all now at each others' throats, ready to kill.The main attraction in this Stephen King adaptation is some very apt casting. If nothing else makes this watchable, it's the performances. Harris and the late, superior character actor J.T. Walsh are allowed the opportunity to overact as they hadn't done before. Walsh, often a man relegated to various white collar criminal and sleazy guy roles, is a scream as the unhinged politician convinced that he's being persecuted by the world at large. Harris is a likable hero. Bonnie Bedelia is very appealing as his love interest Polly. Amanda Plummer and Valri Bromfield, like Walsh, sink their teeth into their scenery devouring roles. Familiar faces in the cast also include Duncan Fraser, William Morgan Sheppard, Don S. Davis, Frank C. Turner, and Lochlyn Munro. The movie does give the legendary Mr. von Sydow a chance to have some fun, and he is utterly charming as the sinister Mr. Gault, but he's never what you could consider truly scary. At best, he's sort of creepy. Lisa Blount has an uncredited cameo as Cora Rusk.The King novel isn't one of his best, but it *is* quite entertaining with its character vignettes, and this adaptation (by screenwriter W.D. Richter) just doesn't size up as that satisfying. In making the transition from book to movie, it loses some impact. It's just not that meaty, and in the end is sort of weak, being content to kill off no more than a few characters. (The body count in the book is MUCH higher; the climactic riot is a real corker.) It's reasonably well made; the director is Fraser C. Heston (Charltons' son) and the excellent music is by Patrick Doyle.At least it manages to end with a big bang, which is pretty impressive. The best moments tend to belong to Walsh.An alternate, extended TV version of this exists that is titled "More Needful Things". This viewer would be most interested in watching that version and seeing if it works any better.Six out of 10.

I saw this movie when it was first released in '93 and again recently and I liked it both times. Like all Stephen King films based on his books, "Needful Things" takes place in a small town and has a cartooney air.The film asks the question: What would happen if the devil literally came to town? In this case it's a small New England coastal village (actually shot in British Columbia). Ed Harris plays the main protagonist while Bonnie Bedelia plays his girlfriend, and Max Von Sydow plays the mysterious shopkeeper who moves into town and causes havoc by selling the villagers their most deepest desires for the price of a "deed." So, what would happen if the devil came to town? Would he make it a paradise? A fun hedonistic haven? Not bloody likely.Since the movie utilizes Christian themes I'll consider it from that perspective for the sake of reviewing. According to the bible, the blessing of the Lord produces the qualities of the Garden of Eden, that is, paradise, which is why it says that the kingdom of heaven is a matter of righteousness, peace, joy and power. By contrast, the devil's kingdom produces un-righteousness, strife, war, anxiety, depression, misery, bondage and helplessness.The fictional town of Castle Rock was a veritable haven before Leland Gaunt (Sydow) moved to town. Sure, there were the typical petty dislikes and rivalries, etc. but, generally speaking, it was a nice place to live, a small coastal paradise, which is what motivated Ed Harris' character to live there. Of course, Gaunt is intent on changing all this.I just find it interesting the way the new shopkeeper slowly turns the town into a literal living hell. He utilizes the people's petty dislikes, paranoias and jealousies against them.FINAL WORD: "Needful Things" may not be great and it's definitely not scary, but it's effective in a theological sense as a creepy satanic take-over through simple manipulation of human nature.The theatrical version runs 120 minutes and the TV version runs 183 minutes. I've never seen the latter, but I'm sure it's the better version in that it further fleshes out the characters.GRADE: B-