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PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

PimpinAinttEasy Dear Philip Leacock, you made a good film alright. Here, have a beer. Or how about an orange soda? Or a grape soda? You deserve it.Dying Room Only starts off with beautiful shots of a deserted road in Arizona. It preceded Long Weekend, the Australian film by five years. Like the Long Weekend, the TV film has a squabbling and seemingly miserable middle class couple driving across the desert in a car as protagonists. Clois Leachman does the irritating and nagging wife really well. She nails the role and the mood of the couple in the first few minutes itself.The couple stops for drinks and food at a roadside café and after this the film wears its genre credentials on its sleeve. The roadside café with the bright red sign reading "Beer" is a nice set piece. The happenings inside the café with the hostile locals are very tense and entertaining. The proceedings do have a play like quality. Ned Beatty is great as one of the hostile locals. This man played so many diverse roles in the 70s.The ending and the plot resolutions were a bit of a disappointment. The revelations at the end does call into question the behavior of the locals at the beginning of the film.There were quite a few films with the rural folk vs urban values in the 70s. While it is not as good as Deliverance or Wake in Fright, Dying Room Only is pretty tense and intriguing for the most part.The background score reminded me of Morricone's noisy and jarring music for Ecce Homo (1968).The final scene was very interesting. Duel, which came out a couple of years before Dying Room Only had a similar scene at the beginning of the film.I hope to check out more films by you, Philip Leacock.Best Regards, Pimpin.

bob_meg Is Richard Matheson awesome or what? Who else could conceive of something so simple and sinister as a woman's husband disappearing in a men's room at a broken down café in the desert? The same guy who conceived of a monster truck stalking a beleaguered motorist to great effect in "Duel," and that's only a slight sample of the other legendary tales he's penned. His skill at deriving something so evil out of the ordinary is very comparable to Stephen King at his '70s peak with "Night Shift" and "Dying Room Only" is indicative of that prowess --- it still makes an impact on people I show it to today.The great news is that this film is now widely available as part of the Warner Archives collection, remastered in widescreen, and though there's nothing but the film on the disc, it's a bargain at about $10.The locals, played by Ross Martin and Ned Beatty are creepy and cruel, the motel night clerk is surly and obtuse. It's really all on Ms. Leachman to figure it out, and Chloris does a really fine job here: she transmits her urgency and controlled panic without making herself into a blithering, hysterical wreck. She's a strong heroine. Dabney Coleman is almost unrecognizable as her husband, here, he's so very young looking.I've heard many comparisons to "Breakdown" but this film is really only similar in plot structure. Breakdown was an adrenaline fueled roller coaster ride that was definitely one of the better road thrillers ever produced. DRO is more a psychological head-game and a mystery, more suited to rainy evenings at home than crowded nights at the multiplex. Pick it up, before they remake and ruin it.

PaulJ7460 Apparently there was enough interest in "Dying Room Only" that made Warner Bros. release this on DVD on 1/19/10. Its on a web-site called www.warnerarchive.com. This is also a re-mastered print which isn't too common for made-for-TV-movies. I just ordered mine and it is definitely worth the investment. TV airings of this movie have all since passed and probably won't get the time of day any longer, so the DVD is worth it's weight in gold. ($19.99) It is crystal clear and the movie is un-cut. There aren't any extras or special features but it is still a treat. Kudos to Warner Bros!! (who has the Lorimar Productions library of movies).

sourpussss A favorite t.v. movie from the 70's. Again, Richard Matheson creates atmosphere and suspense out of almost nothing as a couple stops at a remote diner/motel and the husband never returns from the bathroom. From the bathroom? Who writes a suspense movie where the husband apparently falls in the toilet? The man who brought you the vindictive 16 wheeler of "Duel." Unlike that clever but overpraised feature, "D.R.O." (What's up with that title? It can't be a play on "S.R.O." can it? You don't buy tickets for the toilet?) stays close to realistic scale, and the less than apocalyptic climax is a face-off by two determined middle-aged women. Complain all you want - it worked for me then, it works for me now.