From the characters' names (Jack Crews, Red, Earl, Sonny) to the preposterous plot to the numerous chases and fatal crashes, "Black Dog" wags its hoary, tough-underdog-puts-pedal-to-the-metal tale with no verve or veracity.
Even the hard-core bubba crowd is likely to pass this one up despite a country music soundtrack and the casting of Randy Travis in a major role. The Universal release's sole attraction is a few amazing shots of big rigs flying through the air, falling off mountain roads and smashing into things, usually in slow motion.
With little to do but look mean, bark a few orders and growl at his foes, lead Patrick Swayze as former con Crews is well-groomed for this sort of dogfight, but he's inexplicably leashed for most of it. Trying to go straight after serving time for vehicular manslaughter, the trucker takes on a risky job for money needed to pay an overdue mortgage.
His amiable spouse (Brenda Strong) makes a feeble attempt to stop him from hauling a truckload of illegal arms from Atlanta to New Jersey. But the lack of a driver's license and immediate doubts about all parties involved are not enough to deter Jack.
The title refers to a nighttime apparition that causes overworked, "greedy" drivers to crash, which is what happened to tough-luck case Jack. With such a back-story hounding him, he feels twice as challenged, but he's a gullible gorilla to boot.
Recruited by his shady boss Cutler (Graham Beckel) and flown to Georgia, Jack meets Bible-quoting middleman Red (Meat Loaf) and his pack of hired curs, including would-be singer-songwriter Earl (Travis, ha-ha), amiable dreamer Sonny (Gabriel Casseus) and shifty lowlife Wes (Brian Vincent).
Unbeknownst to Jack, Cutler, Red, et al., squabbling FBI and ATF agents (Charles Dutton and Stephen Tobolowsky) are tracking the shipment in an attempt to nab the buyer. Red makes the first move, attempting to "hijack the load" in ambushes involving cars, trucks and motorcycles.
In an ungainly development, Jack, Earl, Sonny and Wes become allies. Slimy Cutler takes Jack's wife and daughter hostage, leaving our hero no choice but to complete the job. After one of his road pals turns out to be an undercover agent and dies, Jack comes up with a plan to save his family and make the world a safer place.
Director Kevin Hooks ("Fled") and cinematographer Buzz Feitshans IV shift into overdrive for the action scenes, but otherwise the wide-screen production is visually undistinguished. Similarly, the screenplay credited to William Mickelberry and Dan Vining is laughably generic, with light humor that usually doesn't work and such dreadfully banal ideas as having Meat Loaf's character toss off lines from the scriptures as he tries to ram Jack with a succession of bigger red chariots.
BLACK DOG
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and
Mutual Film Company present
a Prelude Pictures production
in association with Raffaella De Laurentiis
Director: Kevin Hooks
Screenwriters: William Mickelberry, Dan Vining
Producers: Peter Saphier, Mark W. Koch,
Raffaella De Laurentiis
Executive producer: Mace Neufeld,
Robert Rehme, Gary Levinsohn, Mark Gordon
Director of photography: Buzz Feitshans IV
Production designer: Victoria Paul
Editors: Debra Neil-Fisher, Sabrina Plisco-Morris
Costume designer: Peggy Stamper
Music: George S. Clinton
Casting: Elisabeth Rudolph
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jack Crews: Patrick Swayze
Red: Meat Loaf
Earl: Randy Travis
Sonny: Gabriel Casseus
Wes: Brian Vincent
Cutler: Graham Beckel
Melanie: Brenda Strong
Ford: Charles Dutton
McClaren: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Even the hard-core bubba crowd is likely to pass this one up despite a country music soundtrack and the casting of Randy Travis in a major role. The Universal release's sole attraction is a few amazing shots of big rigs flying through the air, falling off mountain roads and smashing into things, usually in slow motion.
With little to do but look mean, bark a few orders and growl at his foes, lead Patrick Swayze as former con Crews is well-groomed for this sort of dogfight, but he's inexplicably leashed for most of it. Trying to go straight after serving time for vehicular manslaughter, the trucker takes on a risky job for money needed to pay an overdue mortgage.
His amiable spouse (Brenda Strong) makes a feeble attempt to stop him from hauling a truckload of illegal arms from Atlanta to New Jersey. But the lack of a driver's license and immediate doubts about all parties involved are not enough to deter Jack.
The title refers to a nighttime apparition that causes overworked, "greedy" drivers to crash, which is what happened to tough-luck case Jack. With such a back-story hounding him, he feels twice as challenged, but he's a gullible gorilla to boot.
Recruited by his shady boss Cutler (Graham Beckel) and flown to Georgia, Jack meets Bible-quoting middleman Red (Meat Loaf) and his pack of hired curs, including would-be singer-songwriter Earl (Travis, ha-ha), amiable dreamer Sonny (Gabriel Casseus) and shifty lowlife Wes (Brian Vincent).
Unbeknownst to Jack, Cutler, Red, et al., squabbling FBI and ATF agents (Charles Dutton and Stephen Tobolowsky) are tracking the shipment in an attempt to nab the buyer. Red makes the first move, attempting to "hijack the load" in ambushes involving cars, trucks and motorcycles.
In an ungainly development, Jack, Earl, Sonny and Wes become allies. Slimy Cutler takes Jack's wife and daughter hostage, leaving our hero no choice but to complete the job. After one of his road pals turns out to be an undercover agent and dies, Jack comes up with a plan to save his family and make the world a safer place.
Director Kevin Hooks ("Fled") and cinematographer Buzz Feitshans IV shift into overdrive for the action scenes, but otherwise the wide-screen production is visually undistinguished. Similarly, the screenplay credited to William Mickelberry and Dan Vining is laughably generic, with light humor that usually doesn't work and such dreadfully banal ideas as having Meat Loaf's character toss off lines from the scriptures as he tries to ram Jack with a succession of bigger red chariots.
BLACK DOG
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and
Mutual Film Company present
a Prelude Pictures production
in association with Raffaella De Laurentiis
Director: Kevin Hooks
Screenwriters: William Mickelberry, Dan Vining
Producers: Peter Saphier, Mark W. Koch,
Raffaella De Laurentiis
Executive producer: Mace Neufeld,
Robert Rehme, Gary Levinsohn, Mark Gordon
Director of photography: Buzz Feitshans IV
Production designer: Victoria Paul
Editors: Debra Neil-Fisher, Sabrina Plisco-Morris
Costume designer: Peggy Stamper
Music: George S. Clinton
Casting: Elisabeth Rudolph
Color/stereo
Cast:
Jack Crews: Patrick Swayze
Red: Meat Loaf
Earl: Randy Travis
Sonny: Gabriel Casseus
Wes: Brian Vincent
Cutler: Graham Beckel
Melanie: Brenda Strong
Ford: Charles Dutton
McClaren: Stephen Tobolowsky
Running time -- 88 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
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