this doesn't get said often but dolores claiborne is a movie that is better than the book. taylor hackford and tony gilroy have taken the source material and turned it into a riveting film that will grab your attention even on multiple rewatches. i remember seeing this for the first time in theatres and loving it. it was fantastic and exciting and even though i knew the ending (i had read the book) i was excited to see what would happen next. it's hard to pinpoint what makes this movie so good. it could be the great music, the terrific screenplay, the stellar acting by everyone involved, the excellent makeup, the taut script,the amazing way flashbacks are introduced, the beautiful cinematography that uses vibrant colours for a dark past and muted colours for a dour present or the assured direction by hackford. i guess you can say it's acombination of all of them. i will say this though, and this is only something i noticed this time, 20 years later and maybe a half dozen viewings in and it is the one thing that lowers the rating of this film. the near to last scene (let's call it a courtroom scene even though it's not and those who have seen it will no what i am talking about) is a little less believable than the rest of the film. it's a tad overdone, a tad unbelievable, a tad overblown with dialogue and expoosition, a tad lower in quality than the rest of the film. but just a tad though (and maybe because i have seen it so much i feel this way). otherwise the film is pretty damn good! and the last thing i will say is that kathy bates and stephen king go together like peanut butter and chocolate. it's magical and she needs to be in another of his films. production design: 8 out of 10 cinematography: 9 out of 10 re-playability: 8 out of 10 originality: 8 out of 10 costumes: 10 out of 10 directing: 9 out of 10 editing: 9 out of 10 acting: 9 out of 10 music: 9 out of 10 script: 8 out of 10 87/100