Body Cam: Unsichtbares Grauen

In the opening scenes we learn that tensions are high after a police officer has been cleared after accusations of unlawfully killing a young African American. Shortly afterwards a police officer stops a van for driving without licence plates. He orders the women driver to exit the vehicle and is suddenly attacked. When Officer Renee Lomito-Smith arrives at the scene with her rookie partner Danny Holledge she sees the officer's death on his car's dash-cam; what she sees doesn't make sense to her; soon after they find the body. A clue in the footage leads her to suspect a woman whose son had recently been murdered. It isn't long before more officers are killed, the same van is parked nearby; is it a coincidence? Is somebody targeting the police in general? Or are specific officers being targeted? And if so why? Following the evidence will put Renee and Danny in real danger.

I thought this was a pretty solid film. Even though Netflix recommended it as a horror film for most of its run time I forgot that as it felt like a cop film, and a fairly good one at that... I was almost disappointed when the supernatural elements appear. The real interest was learning just why the murders were taking place. The setting is suitably atmospheric; much of it taking place at night; frequently in the rain. The acting is solid with Mary J. Blige doing a fine job as Officer Lomito-Smith; she was in just about every scene after the prologue and really carried the film. I didn't find much really scary although there are plenty of impressively tense moments and some gore. Overall I'd certainly recommend checking this out if you like the idea of a cop-film with a supernatural horror twist.

Based on the synopsis for 'Body Cam' I really had no idea whether I was going to enjoy this movie or not. It sounded like an interesting premise, but I very rarely enjoy supernatural elements in films. That turned out to basically be my exact thoughts on the film. I really enjoyed the realistic side of the film, but the supernatural side of things - even though it was done surprisingly well - took me away from that and had me rolling my eyes a little. It wasn't overpowering enough to stop me from quite enjoying this little hidden gem of a film however.

It can be easy to forget that Mary J. Blige is actually an Oscar nominated actress. I think of her more for her music, but the fact is that she is a terrific actor when she wants to be. She was great in the lead role here - extremely likeable, never fluffed a line, and had me believing she was a cop from start to finish. Also Nat Wolff was a welcome addition to the film. Him and his brother seem to only like to do films that are quite dark in nature and have an edge to them. Generally when I see either of their names attached to a film I like to check that film out knowing it will likely be good.

The film only really falls down when it stretches the odd scene out a bit too long, and also gets a little dull through the middle stages. There is a scene towards of the film that really took me off-guard by how well it was done though. Very disturbing and certainly the best thing this film had to offer. I really enjoyed 'Body Cam' and would recommend people give it a look. Its IMDb score is currently far too low.

The film starts out with an interesting enough story albeit with a cliche attempt at biased social commentary. The creepiness and tension is effective early on, but as everything starts coming together it became very predictable. The ending is completely ludicrous and unrealistic and throws the entire film off the rails in ridiculousness. While I will give the film's visual ambitions with creative photography and the decent effects some credit, I can't help but say this was a mediocre film overall. The acting was also fairly mediocre and I never really could take the characters seriously. Another case of a revenge thriller/horror where the social undertones are way too heavy handed to the point where the realism is thrown out the window to fit the director's biased vision.

With a title like that and police uniforms on the cover/poster, I do think most can sort of guess where this goes. I did not expect the horror/supernatural elements to this though. I guess you can either say or feel that elevates the movie or you may feel the opposite about it. And while I am a real big fan of Mary J Blige as a singer, I cannot entirely say the same about her as an actress.

Not that she is on a Steven Seagal level, I just think he is a way better singer. On the other hand, she may also still be better than Beyonce at acting, so there is that ... but don't take it from me and believe me that this is still more than rock solid. Cliches and at least a certain predictability aside, this can be suspensful from start to finish ...

I loved the basic premise of using the police body cam as a witness to some supernatural horror story, and placing the police force at the centre of it.

The film carries its weight alright. You wouldn't be disappointed if all you are after is some passtime as a fan of the genre.

However, some greater opportunity might have been missed along the lines. Maybe the overall feel was too much soaked in racialism. Some more diversity (like, a few decent white cops) could have helped build the story in a better, less politically correct but more "correct" direction.

What with all the recent events following the George Floyd murder, the treatment of Afro-Americans by law enforcement is a hot topic and it is understandable that they have merged the more simple premise with that particular kind of tension.

Still, the same creative team can come up with a better sequel in case they keep the "police body cam" at the center of supernatural horror, and invest less in contemporary topics.