Misery (1990)

Set in Colorado, a successful novelist (James Caan) is caught in a blizzard which causes his car to go off the road and he is seriously injured and unconscious. He wakes up in the home of a nurse (Kathy Bates in an Oscar winning performance) who professes to be his number one fan. She was the one who saved his life and pulled him out of the wreck. But it isn't long before he realizes that she's psychotic and he is her prisoner. Based on the novel by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner (A FEW GOOD MEN). Stephen King hasn't always been lucky in the filmed adaptations of his books but MISERY, along with CARRIE (1976), is one of best adaptations. Bates' Annie Wilkes is one of the great movie "monsters" but her performance shows a lot of shading (especially the rain scene) which gives us a peek at the tortured soul underneath the psycho. Bates has received the bulk of the praise but she has Caan's performance to play off of and he's wonderful here as he balances both the fear of and the contempt for his captor. Her oft over the top performance works because of the contrast of his lowkey work here. With Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, Frances Sternhagena n J.T. Walsh.