1408

Based on a short story by Stephen King, 1408 casts John Cusack as Mike Enslin – a skeptical author who finds himself trapped within the confines of a decidedly abnormal room whilst researching his latest book. Director Mikael Håfström, working from Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karaszewski’s screenplay, initially infuses the proceedings with a sinister and genuinely creepy vibe, but there is, ultimately, little doubt that the film’s build-up is more effective than its pay-off. Much like the source material, 1408 works best in its opening scenes, with Mike’s confrontation with Samuel L. Jackson’s pragmatic hotel manager an obvious highlight, primarily because it becomes increasingly (and awfully) difficult to sympathize with Mike’s predicament as things just get weirder and weirder. There is, at least, certainly no denying the strength of Cusack’s work here; the actor, forced to spend large chunks of screen time by himself, does a superb job of holding the viewer’s interest through what is essentially a one-man show.

**1/2 out of ****