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Overall Rating
  Awesome: 52.83%
Worth A Look: 24.53%
Average: 13.21%
Pretty Bad: 7.55%
Total Crap: 1.89%
2 reviews, 41 user ratings
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| Black Cadillac |
by Scott Weinberg
"Enjoyably slick low-budget dark-highway thriller."
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With a new movie, one thing I usually check on is the director's previous work. Well, that trick won't work in this case. If you ever saw John Murlowski's early efforts "Amityville: A New Generation" and the Hulk Hogan flick "Santa With Muscles", you'd have no reason to expect him capable of a slick and sneaky thriller like "Black Cadillac". Apparently he is.Movie fans love Randy Quaid. Their adoration is most likely borne from his "Cousin Eddie" character in the Vacation films, but if you look a bit closer at his extensive filmography it becomes clear that Quaid's just one hell of a character actor. Whether it's his goofball turn as humanity's last hope in Independence Day, his underrated and hilarious performances in the Farrelly Brothers' Kingpin and Bill Murray's Quick Change, or a few subtly touching moments in films like The Last Detail, Paper Moon or The Last Picture Show, this guy's been a Hollywood anchor for about 25 years.
Despite the fact that Randy's been in more bad movies than good, I still consider myself a big fan. He's just a big funny likeable lug. So when his name popped up on a flick at the Tribeca Film Festival, I made sure to check it out sight unseen. My brain whispered vague warnings about the Cheese Factor connected to Murlowski's earlier work, but that information only served to please me more: maybe this was a horror flick!
Though Black Cadillac would probably be best described as a 'thriller' and not an outright horror flick, the fact is it's a fast-paced and generally very entertaining little B-movie; precisely the sort of flick that will serve you well as a weekend rental or a late-night cable flick.
Those familiar with roadside nightmares such as Joy Ride, The Hitcher and (especially) Duel will find much of Black Cadillac comfortably familiar. Better than just a ripoff or a retread, Black Cadillac is simply a crafty little chestnut in its own right: three rowdy pals (heading back home from Minnesota to Wisconsin one late night) are mercilessly chased, harried and harrassed by a mysterious black car.
Things seem to be going their way when the trio picks up a seemingly affable cop (Quaid), but the audience will be able to tell right quick that something's amiss about the policeman. That devilish glint in Quaid's eye is a sign of plot twists to come.
Given the general quality of your average direct-to-video/cable flick, that Black Cadillac easily commands your attention for 90-some minutes speaks volumes on its quality. Proof positive that a low-budget (and mildly derivative) cat-and-mouse thriller can deserve your five bucks, Black Cadillac offers little more than kinetic chases, a few solid laughs, and Quaid at his most enjoyable - but surely that's good enough.Laden with plot holes, twists, contrivances and red herrings, Black Cadillac hits the ground running and never really slows down. You've seen much of this stuff before, but here it's reimagined quite enjoyably - plus I believe I already mentioned the greatness of Randy Quaid.
link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=7670&reviewer=128
originally posted: 05/15/03 10:57:05
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OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. For more in the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival series, click here.
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USA
14-May-2003 (R)
DVD: 17-May-2005
UK
N/A
Australia
N/A
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