Storm of the Century (Television Miniseries Review)

1999 ABC
Directed by: Craig R. Baxley; Written by: Stephen King
Starring: Tim Daly, Colm Feore, Debrah Farentino, Casey Siemaszko, and Jeffrey DeMunn
MPAA Rating: N/A; Running Time: 257 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 10/10

Little Tall Island is home to a warm, close-knit community. It's a peaceful place, unless it's being hit by a powerful winter storm. Unfortunately, for the citizens of Little Tall, they're in for the storm of the century. As a vast, powerful blizzard nears the island, a mysterious stranger suddenly appears, murders an old woman, then allows himself to be caught. As the storm rolls in, the stranger starts to talk, and he knows things...about everyone. In addition to knowing about everyone's deepest, darkest secrets, the stranger seems to have the ability to force the townsfolk to kill themselves. As his reign of terror continues, and the storm grows stronger, something becomes apparent: the stranger wants something...and he'll do anything to get it.
I host a 90s movies podcast called Filmshake, and last year we covered Saving Private Ryan. A couple times a year, to either our listeners great joy or chagrin, I will go into a philosophical monologue about the film. For Saving Private Ryan, I argued that the movie is a convincing argument for Deontological Ethics over Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism essentially argues that the action that benefits the most people is correct. Deontology argues that an action is only correct if it is morally right, no matter how many people it benefits. Apparently, Stephen King had a device that could play podcasts from the future back in 1999, heard that episode of Filmshake, and decided to make Storm of the Century based entirely upon that monologue. Or...more likely, when I watched Storm of the Century on ABC as a 17-year-old, when it originally aired back in February of 1999, the miniseries left a heavy impression on my mind, one that's lasted over a quarter of a century.
Stephen King adaptations are hit and miss. Sometimes, you get The Shawshank Redemption, one of the greatest films ever made. Sometimes, you get The Tommyknockers. King wrote Storm of the Century directly for television, armed by this point in the decade with the experience of what works on television and what does not. King is blessed here with a director who seems to have a perfect understanding of his material in Craig R. Baxley, as well as a production team and cast on the exact same page. Everything here works from the opening scene onward, with the pristine visuals, fantastic cast, and Gary Chang's stellar score all giving the impression that this could be a theatrically released feature film, albeit one that aired in two-hour increments over three separate nights.
Tim Daly of Wings fame plays the admirable lead here, Mike Anderson, who both manages the local grocery store, and acts as the town constable. Daly likely puts in the best performance of his career, as what may turn out to be the only truly moral person on Little Tall. Storm of the Century's other acting standout is a terrifyingly menacing, and yet also understated Colm Feore, as the mysterious stranger, Linoge. The rest of the cast is extremely effective, stock Maine accents and all, and thanks to their performances and the high production values, Little Tall Island feels like a real place full of real people.

None of this would work if King wasn't firing on all cylinders, though. King's writing here is as good as it's ever been, from his layered plot, to complex character interplay, to the mounting horror of the situation, to cracking dialogue, particularly from Linoge when the evil antagonist systematically breaks down the islanders' wills and desire to resist. Daly's series-ending monologue and subsequent voiceover is also well-written, the latter greatly enhanced by Chang's music, which takes a small page from Thomas Newman's work in Shawshank with some woodwind moments, but yet feels wholly unique.

And then, there's that series ending moral quandary, one for the ages and that resonates long after the end credits role. Television miniseries don't get better than this. Most cinematically realized movies don't either. Storm of the Century is...a hurricane of excellence. A gale force of greatness. A downpour of delightful viewing. A stellar shower of satisfying television. Go watch it!
I feel like this review shouldn't end with all those awful sentences. Instead, here is Gary Chang's theme for the show.