It’s hard for me to watch this because I watched the TV show and read the novel so I knew a lot about the story going in. I couldn’t help but see the episodic nature of the story. He moves from one story to the next. It just plays like a TV show. Christopher Walken was the perfect person to play Johnny because his face and reactions are just perfect. When he’s in the gazebo and is asked about the murder, he gives this brief devious smile. Martin Sheen is chewing the scenery and I love it. He plays the role like a spoiled kid who gets what he wants all the time and throws a tantrum if he doesn’t get it. He’s doing a Trump parody 30 years earlier. You can really tell how little money they had to work with from the serious lack of extras at the Gazebo scene and not showing the missiles or what was happening in the rest of the world. It’s also great to see what the TV show was inspired by (Johnny’s jacket and hair) and what they changed (making Sarah married to Bannerman/Sarah’s child is Johnny’s) to make it really strong.
