Venganza al volante

After causing some trouble at a remote roadhouse, three young men are pursued through the night by a mysterious black car.

Sounds OK? And it should have been. The basic premise is quite good and Shane Johnson (Scott), Josh Hammond (C.J.) and Jason Dohring (Robby), the three young men in question, are all quite solid in their roles. Their acting is convincing and applause to them.

Where Black Cadillac falls down is in the pace and the editing. After an initial good 30 minutes the films meanders through the next hour to a predictable and overly slow conclusion. The audience is left with a feeling that this could have been a good 45 minute short but the script/direction ran out of steam far too early. 3/10.

There are some things that naturally are cinematic. Among these are car chases, smoke and snow. Similarly on the story side, people cast together in a small space with an outside threat and unrevealed past relationships.

It terms of flow, the most reliable device is a character who is not what he seems.

On these safe poles is strung the structure of this movie. Overall, it isn't any worse than other fare that doesn't matter. Some of the photography — especially of the menacing Caddy — is good.

But someone smart enough to use these devices should also have know the dangers. They are so familiar that in order to be effective they have to be exaggerated beyond themselves.

To have exaggerated chases these days requires CGI and some recourse to the supernatural. To have the historical revelation matter it has to be extreme, completely strange. When the twist comes and you learn which things are not as you suspected, these days that has to be at least two major twists. Big ones that involve the skin of the thing.

You'll find the same pattern in romance where too much thrill eats the center and two little prevents it from slaking onto the blade.

Maybe its impossible to be delicate and surgically sharp these days, which is why genre films are already bankrupt, reduced to selfparody.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

In a rural area of the upper Midwest three youthful dudes leave a rowdy bar on a cold, snowy night. Soon, they notice a car following them. It turns out to be a big, black Cadillac that just will not leave them alone.

Huge amounts of dialogue, annoyingly shallow characters, and manipulative music characterize this low-budget horror flick from writer/director John Murlowski. Aside from the characters, another and even more serious problem with the film is the plot. Whoever is driving that Cadillac could take action against the kids at any time. Instead, the driver teases, torments, provokes, harasses the three kids, and in general prolongs the ordeal. Why? Because without the teasing and the harassment, you don't have a full-length feature film. The film's plot is thus ... contrived.

Further, this is another one of those films wherein automobiles undergo horrendous physical torture, like in one scene of this film where the car careens off a high embankment. But then the car still runs. Wish I could find a car that durable.

The film's cinematography is acceptable, if not exceptional. The visuals are dark. Some of the scenes involve rear screen projection, and a "camera shaker" for effect.

To its credit, the film does have a Twilight Zone feel to it. The story takes place entirely at night, and with a general absence of other people, once we leave the bar sequence. Hence, the darkness and the sense of aloneness out on the open road does indeed foster some tension and suspense. But the story's resolution is ultimately disappointing.

"Black Cadillac" probably will appeal to younger audiences who may see in it some element of horror. But aside from the suspense derived from the dark and eerie atmosphere, I found the story to be hokey, the characters irritating, and the dialogue too talky, for the film to be satisfying.

A little mysterious,... hotted up '57 Cadillac chasing the Saab in the snow, at night, after a pub brawl....hmm.

The greater part of this movie takes place within the Saab or looking at it from without. Most of this is very good stunt work and captivating to watch.

Charlie the cop was a crackup right from the moment he just helped himself to a lift with the boys in the Saab. From the minute he speaks he sounds suspicious and reminds us more than once that he is off duty and just wants to get home.

The two brothers' dialogue doesn't sound like any two brothers communicating that I've heard but maybe they're step-brothers or something. The punch-ups are magnificent and some of the recipients are mega tough. Its either that or lightweights doing the punching. When you watch a man standing over another and punching him in the face repeatedly, say maybe five or six slammers, and then the guy can get up and carry on, blood lip, nose, eye perhaps? nothing!! Not a mark. Those gridiron guys at Yale, they're something else and hey, can they drive or what?

The flaws in this movie don't get in the way and it was intriguing to watch.

My rating 7/10 (Distinctive)

It's solid, well put together, decently acted and hits all its necessary marks. Yet it's lacking that something that makes it memorable, its an enjoyable watch but it won't last long in the memory. It could have probably done with a bit more suspense and menace and the lead characters could have been more likeable.