Black Cat Run

Okay, so maybe the budget wasn't quite that miniscule, but you can tell this isn't one of the pictures that would be "big" enough for a Joel Silver or a Jerry Bruckheimer to bother with. But that's fine, because even with the tried-and-true action sequences, the execution is well-done and fast-paced. Frank Darabont contributes some solid character development, a real change for an action picture, so anybody out there with ADD may want to fast-forward through the first third. Of course it won't make any sense without the initial set-up, but since when did that bother the majority of the audience this flick is aimed at?

And to paraphrase the old saying, what's the most important thing about a low-budget action flick? Casting, casting, casting. You'll never find nastier or more dependable villains than the ones that Peter Greene (THE MASK, PULP FICTION) and Kevin J. O'Connor (DEEP RISING, THE MUMMY) specialize in. Not to mention Russell Means, for that extra touch of "desert ethnicity." Patrick Muldoon and Jake Busey were castmates in Paul Verhoeven's STARSHIP TROOPERS, and character favorites Rex Linn, Jeffrey DeMunn and Lois Chiles round out the lineup. Can't go wrong with a roster like that.

Not a movie that pretends to be anything but what it is, so when you want high-speed chases and shoot-'em-up, blow-'em-up-real-good sequences, fire up the VCR with this one, pop the popcorn and have at it.

Caught this on HBO. Thoroughly enjoyed it but not one for the kiddies to watch. Gratuitous violence wasn't necessary but more shots of female lead would have been appreciated. For someone living up here in the Northeast it was very interesting seeing the landscape down in the Southwest. Bottom line was that I was entertained and this could be a cult film staple. Catch this one if you can.

It was a 6* movie until the end when it just crapped all over itself. I gave it 5* because I lasted till the credits, but it is not that good :) If you don't mind that people that couldn't crawl in one scene, are straight up sprinting in the next, and lots of unrealistic stuff like that, if you don't mind that logic has nothing to do with the actions taken by the protagonists, then you might enjoy this.

I wish I chose something else.

I really like this movie.It is always nice to see the very hot and handsome Peter Greene play the mean,nasty villain and of course the very beautiful Amelia Heinle.I can't forget Patrick Muldoon.He was hot in this movie also.

Lots of action and I love the cool cars.The only part of the movie I had a problem with is when Johnny Dale backed out of the garage through a brick wall being so close...*L*....Overall the movie was awseome and full of excitement.

I've actually got to give Frank Darabont some massive props here. He was coming off The Shawshank Redemption (1994) getting 7 Oscar nods and could have picked any project. So what did he do? He decided to produce one of his earliest screenplays, written back in the mid-80s when he was still struggling. Now I'm sure he wasn't handling it in detail, but the fact he stuck by his old script is awesome. Four convicts (including Peter Greene and Kevin J. O'Connor) escape from a chain gang and take a sheriff's daughter hostage. This doesn't sit well with Johnny Grissom (Patrick Muldoon), her boyfriend who takes off after them in his muscle car. If you can get past the first half hour where they are doing white trash Romeo and Juliet, there is a lot of fun to be had here. There are some fantastic car chases and KNB even delivers some bloody shootouts and roadway fatalities. The cast is good (if you can get past everyone thinking Texans sound like deep south folks) and Greene is a good villain (this was right before he nosedived his career thanks to hard drugs). Chuck Russell was going to direct at one point (he is an exec producer here), but D. J. Caruso does an admirable job in his feature debut. It premiered on HBO, which is a shame as it probably would have looked great on the big screen.