Going by Black Cadillac, you'd think it was impossible to make a good scary road movie. But what about DUEL or THE HITCHER? Or even more recent is JOYRIDE or the surprisingly effective DEAD END, which I've recommended highly on this site. It's definitely possible to make a good scary road thriller, but Black Cadillac is not one of them. It goes for the most basic and obvious of road thriller conventions and ends up being a watered down, goofy amalgamation of Duel, Joyride and Christine.
I gave this movie three stars because, truth be told, some of the photography was good. Ultimately though, Randy Quaid is the only thing that saves this movie from being much more than a rotting pile of road kill. The story centers on three underage guys who make their way across the state line to get drunk and hopefully get laid. One of the trio is a smartass with a weird scar on his face who continually pops Pez candy through the whole movie. I love those quirky characters. Nothing screams B- level thriller like an intentionally quirky character.
Scarface Pez Eater gets into a fight at the bar, which causes our trio to go on the run before any of them can get lucky with the ladies. The local hicks chase them out into the parking lot and throw bottles at their car as our heroes make their escape.
Pretty soon, a mysterious black Cadillac starts following them. There are some decent chase scenes through the snow, with this demonic black Cadillac chasing our boys. Reminded me a little of Christine or even The Car. But after about twenty minutes of this cat and mouse routine, it starts to get a little boring. So, enter Randy Quaid as a stranded Law Dog.
Our boys pick up Randy, who instantly becomes the Mysterious Oracle in the Back Seat, spouting crude jokes and words of wisdom with equal enthusiasm. His presence in the car causes all the requisite dirty little secrets to come to the surface. We come to find out that all three of our boys have skeletons in their closet, things that they don't like to talk about. The big reveal is that one the boys slept with Randy Quaid's wife and ruined his marriage.
If you've seen Angel Heart, you'll probably be able to figure out that Sheriff Randy planned this whole evening as a really long, boring, drawn out way of getting his revenge against the pipsqueak who stole his woman. The twist in this movie is older than the Cadillac in the title, and that's what ends up being the biggest downfall of the movie. Black Cadillac is a semi-entertaining but flawed entry into the road thriller genre that doesn't quite live up to its predecessors.
I gave this movie three stars because, truth be told, some of the photography was good. Ultimately though, Randy Quaid is the only thing that saves this movie from being much more than a rotting pile of road kill. The story centers on three underage guys who make their way across the state line to get drunk and hopefully get laid. One of the trio is a smartass with a weird scar on his face who continually pops Pez candy through the whole movie. I love those quirky characters. Nothing screams B- level thriller like an intentionally quirky character.
Scarface Pez Eater gets into a fight at the bar, which causes our trio to go on the run before any of them can get lucky with the ladies. The local hicks chase them out into the parking lot and throw bottles at their car as our heroes make their escape.
Pretty soon, a mysterious black Cadillac starts following them. There are some decent chase scenes through the snow, with this demonic black Cadillac chasing our boys. Reminded me a little of Christine or even The Car. But after about twenty minutes of this cat and mouse routine, it starts to get a little boring. So, enter Randy Quaid as a stranded Law Dog.
Our boys pick up Randy, who instantly becomes the Mysterious Oracle in the Back Seat, spouting crude jokes and words of wisdom with equal enthusiasm. His presence in the car causes all the requisite dirty little secrets to come to the surface. We come to find out that all three of our boys have skeletons in their closet, things that they don't like to talk about. The big reveal is that one the boys slept with Randy Quaid's wife and ruined his marriage.
If you've seen Angel Heart, you'll probably be able to figure out that Sheriff Randy planned this whole evening as a really long, boring, drawn out way of getting his revenge against the pipsqueak who stole his woman. The twist in this movie is older than the Cadillac in the title, and that's what ends up being the biggest downfall of the movie. Black Cadillac is a semi-entertaining but flawed entry into the road thriller genre that doesn't quite live up to its predecessors.