Over a prolific run of 22 seasons, NCIS has introduced us and said farewell to many characters, though some remain stalwart staples. Sean Murray‘s familiar face as Timothy McGee has been around since Season 1, making him the most-tenured main character in the franchise. Though he was only a recurring character in the first season, he quickly became a fan favorite, allowing McGee to climb up the ranks from a Probie to nearly snagging Deputy Director. But before Murray’s tireless commitment to the cop procedural, one of the works that stands out in his filmography is The Lottery. His minor role in this adaptation of Shirley Jackson‘s infamous short story is far from the capable cop we love, but he plays a vital role in bringing the 1996 film to life, contributing to the goosebumps that crawl across our skin as we uncover more about its isolated little town.
‘The Lottery’ Is Adapted From Shirley Jackson’s Short Story
Adapted from Jackson’s notorious short story, 1996’s The Lottery revolves around a town that is harboring a dark secret. However, the film only adapts the idea from Jackson’s story, and the narrative itself is completely original, with Dan Cortese’s Jason returning to his parent’s hometown to spread his father’s ashes and learn the truth about his mother’s death. Upon his father’s hospitalization, he discovers that there may be grisly details surrounding his mother’s death, but it is his father’s dying wish for his ashes to be spread on her grave that catalyzes Jason’s misadventures.
Jason is greeted by a frosty welcome when he arrives in town and immediately has to fight to get his father’s final wish fulfilled. At each step of his journey, he is contested, cast aside, and just generally treated poorly by all the wary townsfolk, except for Felice (Keri Russell). Murray’s character is also one of the few who is less abrasive toward Jason and briefly speaks against the town’s practices that are yet to be revealed. Though young Murray plays a small role as the gas station attendant and mechanic, he contributes to the eeriness and mystery surrounding the secluded place, making it no less critical than the town’s intimidating sheriff (M. Emmet Walsh).
‘The Lottery’ Follows the Same Tonal Shift as the Original
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There Is an Element of Psychological Manipulation Added to ‘The Lottery’
In Jackson’s The Lottery, the binary of good and evil is overturned as the dark ritual the town engages in seems to be driven by an external force, forcing us to question if the townsfolk are truly evil, especially with their reactions to the ceremony. With the added element of a stranger visiting town, the film engages with similar themes in a more chilling display. There is a level of psychological manipulation and torment that pervades the narrative, as the townspeople blow up Jason’s car or steal his mother’s ashes. These are all inherently nasty acts, but it is to simply deter Jason from staying in town longer and discovering their awful annual practice.
It is akin to a frightful display of mass paranoia, as though we perceive the town to be unequivocally wrong, especially since we are approaching it from Jason’s position, they truly believe it is essential for survival. They clearly don’t find pleasure in what they are doing but see it as a grave necessity, echoing the same undercurrents of questioning about who is in the wrong. The Lottery has always incited a rabbit hole of strained moral quandary, and this film captures this haunting sentiment, leaving us gasping at the contradictory brutality of it all.
The Lottery is only available on YouTube in the U.S.
The Lottery
- Release Date
-
September 29, 1996
- Director
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Daniel Sackheim
- Cast
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Dan Cortese
, Keri Russell
, Veronica Cartwright
, Stephen Root
, William Daniels
, William Morgan Sheppard
, Salome Jens
, M. Emmet Walsh
, Sean Murray
, Jon Huffman
, Joe Chrest
, Jeff Corey
, Amy Parrish
, Alex Van
, David Lenthall
, Joanne Pankow
, Mark Jeffrey Miller - Runtime
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92 Minutes
