The Ring (2002)

REVIEW
You could count on your hands the number of American films based on foreign movies that turn out to be as good as the original. In 2002, Insomnia was one, and who would have ever believed that the other would be a horror film based on a cult Japanese chiller. Scary, atmospheric and -- amazingly -- pretty damn smart for a supernatural thriller, The Ring is faithful to its inspiration Ringu, sometimes almost scene for scene; but it takes the basic story of a teenaged folk legend and spruces it up for an American audience without losing any of its freshness or effectiveness. Watts plays Rachel, a Seattle newspaper reporter who investigates the mysterious death of her niece. It seems it all started with a creepy video, which will bring about the gruesome death of anyone who watches it. Placing herself in harm's way, Rachel watches the video, and has only seven days to get to the heart of the mystery. Watts, who made playing two characters in Mulholland Drive seem plausible, brings a believability to the film that rarely makes you question the other-worldly goings-on. Director Verbinksi maintains good pacing throughout, and cannily creates suspense and scares without having to rely on gore, tricky editing or flashy effects.