Sans issue

Tommy Lee Jones plays Quint, a professional thief hired by the government to acquire a tape that will incriminate a major corporation. While he is taking it on the lam, he quickly stashes the tape inside an experimental super-car (the "Black Moon" of the title), which is then stolen by another professional thief, Nina (Linda Hamilton) and her precision team. When the two thieves meet, sparks fly, but Quint will be in big trouble if he doesn't get that tape back. So he teams up with two of the cars' designers to take on Ninas' big bad evil boss Ed Ryland (Robert Vaughn).

The first screenplay ever sold by beloved genre filmmaker John Carpenter, it spent years in development before finally becoming a reality, released by New World in 1986. It's exactly what one would hope it would be: engaging, pedal-to-the-metal nonsense. It's well-paced, it's sexy, it's violent, the car itself is a marvel to behold, and there's some real high-tech finesse displayed by "heroes" and villains alike. It also has a heart, evident in scenes with the great Keenan Wynn (in his penultimate feature film appearance) and Jones.

The real interest here lies in this eclectic cast. We have a typically charismatic, cool-as-can-be Jones (who apparently did most of his own stunts and came up with a lot of Quints' wisecracks) in the lead, an appealing Hamilton as his love interest, football player turned "Police Academy" regular Bubba Smith as a federal agent, Richard Jaeckel, Dan Shor, and William Sanderson as the Black Moons' creators, punk rocker & occasional actor Lee Ving as Jones' persistent nemesis, and Nick Cassavetes as a henchman. Vaughn is smooth and amusingly slimy in the kind of white-collar bad guy he could play in his sleep. Al White, one of the jive talking dudes from "Airplane!", has a bit as a maintenance man.

"Black Moon Rising" is overall a fairly routine, somewhat futuristic B action picture, but is still quite agreeable on that level.

Seven out of 10.

Ho hum, another 80's supercar movie... no wait, that's Tommy Lee Jones. And Linda Hamilton. And the car doesn't get all that much screen time! Wait, could this be a (gasp!) real movie? Yes!

The car (an aircraft-composite alternate-fuel vehicle named "Black Moon") doesn't get much in the way of road time, as it's the target of some ne-er-do-well car thieves early in the flick. But Tommy Lee's got to get something he dropped back... and it's in the car. And what's this? The car theft ringleader (Robert Vaughn) is a white-collar corporate type who's not about to just let it be driven away? Hrmm... this isn't sounding like our usual crash-em-up plot here. Lots of intrigue, quite a bit of steamy interaction between Jones and Hamilton, and some wonderful stuntwork (including jumping a car from one skyscraper to another). Definitely worth a couple of bucks at the video store for a few nights.

Great film that takes me back to the '80s in a good way.

I agree with the positive reviews already posted and fondly remember "Black Moon Rising" projected on the giant screen at the Virgina Theater in Champaign, IL. The car chase scenes are tremendous and they don't trash the Dodge Daytona Turbo. I was driving the same car at the time and it has always been my favorite vehicle.

Considering the participation of John Carpenter and Roger Corman it really is a "good little film" as everyone seem to call it. New World released several of these small gems in the '80s. "The Philadelphia Experiment" and "Eddie and the Cruisers" come to mind. Small budgets, great stories and terrific acting in films that actually improve with age.

Any film with Tommy Lee Jones is worth a look and Linda Hamilton is always a looker. Check it out.

The FBI hires professional thief Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) to steal some data tapes. But he's caught in the act and has to hide the tapes in a prototype super car called the Black Moon. But then the Black Moon is stolen by a car thief (Linda Hamilton) working for big bad guy Ryland (Robert Vaughn). Entertaining popcorn thriller directed by Harley Cokeliss from a story by John Carpenter. Tommy Lee Jones drops one-liners and attracts babes like a true Carpenter hero. Linda Hamilton is great as sexy car thief Nina. She gets the most character attention of anybody in the film. She's also lovely to look at, with her full lips and big '80s hair that she rocked so well. Robert Vaughn redeems himself from Superman III with a nice hissable turn as a villain here. Lee Ving and Bubba Smith appear as thorns in our hero's side. An underrated movie and a fun one.

A typical 80's action film with an anything but typical plot, Black Moon Rising is not only a film with a memorable story but also admirable acting. Jones, as usual, delivers a great performance, with Linda Hamilton and the always watchable Robert Vaughn backing him up with their immense talent. Above average stunts, an intriguing score, and a fast-paced and, at times, light-hearted script all combine to form a fun and memorable film.