Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Matt Parker
Based on the novel by Stephen King
Cast: Christian Bale, Eric Bana, Noah Schnapp, Melissa George, Melanie Lynskey, Ray Winstone, Doutzen Kroes
Plot: The Man in Black (Eric Bana) walks alone across the desert away from a small town called Tull. As he gets to the top of a nearby ridge he looks back on the town in the distance and smiles before continuing his walk into the vast Mohaine Desert.
Jake Chambers (Noah Schnapp) is walking down a New Jersey street on his way to school. He sees his bus begin to pull away across the street. He starts to run after it, but is unable to catch up. Out of breath, Jake gives up his chase and begins walking along the side of the road to school. Suddenly a man dressed in black pushes Jake in front of a moving car, which hits him with a loud crash.
Roland Deschain (Christian Bale) walks through the desert with his pack mule when he sees a small town off in the distance. He changes his direction and moves into the town, Tull, according to the makeshift sign. As he walks through the town, the townspeople glare at him. He sees a sign for a town called Sheb's. Roland ties up his mule and heads into the bar. He sits down in the empty bar and is greeted by the bartender, Allie (Melissa George). Roland asks her if she has seen a man dressed all in black come into the town. She offers to tell him a story that may help him in his quest if he sleeps with her. Roland is taken aback by the offer, but takes her up on it. Alice closes the bar and takes Roland to her bed in the back of the bar.
As they lay in bed, Allie tells Roland that a man in black recently came into town. He stayed for several days and spent a lot of time at the town's church. Allie then nonchalantly adds that the Man in Black brought a recently deceased man back to life. This catches Roland's attention. He gets out of Allie's bed and starts putting his clothes back on. He walks through Tull until he comes across a building with a cross on top of it, surmising that it must be the town church Allie spoke of. He enters the church where he encounters the pregnant Sylvia (Melanie Lynskey). He asks her about the Man in Black, and she gestures toward her belly, saying that she has been impregnated by the Crimson King himself. Roland pulls out his revolver and shoots Sylvia through the stomach to kill the unborn child.
Sylvia wakes up from shock and implores the rest of the town to attack Roland, convincing them that only a being of complete evil could put a bullet through an unborn child. Everyone in town, including Allie, march toward Roland as if they are possessed. Roland sees them approaching and makes sure his revolver is fully loaded. Roland tells Sylvia to stop and tell everyone to stand down, but everyone keeps marching toward him. Roland then expertly guns down each and every last resident of Tull. Afterward, Roland looks around at the trail of dead bodies littering the streets of Tull.
Roland continues his trek through the desert when his mule dies from heat exhaustion. Roland loads himself up with as much of his gear as he can carry and continues moving, determined. Roland happens upon a way station and sees someone there in the distance. Believing the figure to be the Man in Black, Roland draws his gun as he approaches, only to find the figure is just Jake Chambers. Roland then passes out from exhaustion.
When Roland awakens, Jake is standing over him with some water he found. Roland asks him if he's seen the Man in Black, and Jake tells him that he passed by a few days before. Roland asks Jake where he came from, but Jake doesn't remember. Roland offers to hypnotize Jake to find out, and Jake agrees. Under hypnosis, Jake reveals that he is from New York and was on his way to school when he felt a push and was then hit by a car. Roland believes the push was from the Man in Black wishing to bring Jake to this world.
Inside the way station, Roland heads down to the cellar to look for supplies. Instead, he encounters a demon speaking to him through a glory hole in the wall. Roland punches through the glory hole and rips off the demon's jaw bone. The demon wails in pain on the other side of the hole. Roland pockets the jawbone and heads outside. Roland begins walking away from the way station only to find Jake following him. Roland asks him what he thinks he's doing. Jake says he's not even from this world or dimension or whatever it is so he thought he would just tag along with Roland. Roland tells the kid to get lost, but Jake says that he saved Roland's life. Roland says he would've been just fine, but begrudgingly allows Jake to tag along.
Roland and Jake trek into more mountainous terrain. Jake suggests they stop for the day to rest and camp out. Roland agrees and starts a fire. That night, Roland is awaken by the sound of Jake screaming. Roland runs after the screams, finding that Jake has been taken by the Oracle of the Mountains (Doutzen Kroes). Roland pulls out the jawbone, which immediately captures the Oracle's attention. She lets go of Jake. Roland hands the jawbone to Jake and tells him to hang on to it. Roland then walks with the Oracle into a cave. He tells her he wants to learn the path to the Dark Tower and of his fate. The Oracle disrobes and takes Roland by the hand. The Oracle's shape contorts as she and Roland have sex in the cave. That night, Roland dreams about walking in on his mother and the Man in Black in bed together. Angered, the young Roland sought out Cort (Ray Winstone) to train him in the ways of the gun. Cort tells Roland that he will have to defeat him in order to benefit from his years of wisdom.
In the morning, Roland wakes up drenched in sweat. The Oracle is nowhere to be seen. Roland returns to the camp site and tells Jake to get up so they can continue their trek through the mountains. Jake gets up and discards the jawbone and follows Roland as they move away from the camp. Roland tells Jake that the Oracle told him they will need to travel through an old mine up ahead. When they reach the mine entrance, Roland puts an old mining helmet on Jake's head. They ride through the mine on an old mine cart. Suddenly they are attacked by a group of Slow Mutants, who block the tracks with rocks. The mutants' green skin glows dimly in the dark. Roland pulls out his guns and kills all of the mutants. Roland and Jake then move the rocks off of the tracks and continue on their way.
Deep underground, Roland and Jake start to catch up with the Man in Black on an ancient bridge. Roland and Jake start running to catch up with the Man in Black who is at the other end of the bridge. A stone beneath Jake's feet gives way and the bridge begins crumbling to pieces. Jake manages to grab onto the edge of the bridge, but his hands begin slipping. The Man in Black looks at Roland and tells him that if he chooses to save the boy he will never catch him. Roland gives Jake an apologetic look and turns back toward the Man in Black. Jake tells him to go after him and lets go of the edge, falling into the black void below.
At the other end of the bridge, The Man in Black sits and waits for Roland to make it to him. The Man in Black reads Roland's fate from a set of Tarot cards. He draws The Sailor, The Prisoner, The Lady of Shadow, Death, The Tower, and finally Life. The Man in Black sets fire to the Life card and tells Roland that he is merely and pawn and Roland's true enemy is the Crimson King who controls the Dark Tower. The Man in Black tells Roland to give up his quest, but Roland refuses. The Man in Black then puts Roland to sleep.
Roland wakes up and finds a skeleton sitting where the Man in Black had been. Roland finally makes it out of the mines and makes it out into the sunlight and to the shores of the Western Sea.
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