The Dead Zone (Christopher Walken) - President Martin Sheen starts a nuclear war

From the original Dead Zone, 1983. Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is able to tell the future by shaking someone's hand. He grabs the hand of the shady politician Greg Stillson (Martin Sheen) who is running for Senate - and has a horrible vision of the future in which the clearly insane Stillson gets elected President and starts a nuclear war. I especially love the sweet early-80s Stanley Kubrick-like aesthetics of the scanning screen and the President's office. I dig the free-jazz bass-clarinet solo in the background too.

Great scene.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Christopher Walken
• Martin Sheen
• The Dead Zone
• President
• War
• Nuclear War
• Obama
• Zac Efron
• Nickelback
• Oscars

[gatzad]

What always creeped me out about this scene was the president's aid.  He's the guy that on the surface appears to serve the president but behind the scenes is actually the guy in charge with the president as his face man.

When I was a kid, that guy creeped me out and in many ways he still does today. The idea of the elected official being submissive to a shadowy figure with unknown agendas is what scared the hell out of me.

[goldsmice]

@gatzad YES! This is absolutely correct! I feel exactly the same way and I always have. Sonny, the guy you speak of, seems to actually be controlling the president. In this scene, he says, "Complete the sequence, Mr. President." And after the president gets done with it, he shakes his hand and says, "thank you, Sonny." It was never really discussed in the movie exactly how Sonny holds this sway over Greg Stillson, but it is heavily implied.

[goldsmice]

This is one weak-willed general. I would think anyone capable of rising to the rank of a general (one who is high up enough to be trusted with the nuclear launch) would rather die than betray his country and starting a nuclear war. So I always thought this scene was a *little* outlandish. Nevertheless, it's a great bit of acting and directing.

[85pagesproductions]

Stillson reminds me of Rick Perry. When I saw Perry's speech all I could think of is Stillson and George W. Bush 2.0

[0chairmankaga0]

President Rick Perry?

[BasqueNYC]

I love sheens portrayed of a president in the future basically a dictorship I saw this and thought yrs later when bush was "elected" I was thinking of this but now I'm thinking of Mitt

[jipsta]

And so began Mitt Romney's presidential campaign...

[BasqueNYC]

I wonder who we are at war with at this point in the future? North Korea,Iran,China,new dictatorship in a middle eastern country we have yet to see,ALIENS! Hmm maybe not that far

[PaddyButton]

"Let the missiles fly. Hallelujah. Hallelujah."

[rambone5]

@gatzad That shadowy guy is a CFR member. Every administration for the last 90 years has been packed with globalists with an agenda of World Government.

[Never3rd]

@honestjohntellsit I was about to say...

[empirestatebuilding1]

@honestjohntellsit hi. an interesting comment you made. it seems like a lot of people agree with you about mitt romney. i don't know myself, but i'd rather a true christian evangelical, like myself, to be the next u.s. president.

anyways, good comment.

[honestjohntellsit]

Replace Sheen with Mitt Romney. I can see it happening.

[Jkbox1]

Where can I get a novelty "Stillson 2012" button?

[empirestatebuilding1]

thumbs up if this one scene has played over and over in your head