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Black Cadillac (2003)

DVD Cover (First Look Home Entertainment)
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Overall Rating 58%
Overall Rating
Ranked #6,387
...out of 20,325 movies
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What starts as a night of celebration for three friends quickly becomes the ultimate test of survival when their car breaks down on a frozen and deserted mountain. The mystery grows further when they are joined by a local deputy sheriff and are stalked down the mountain by the ominous, probing headlights of a black Cadillac. It's a terrifying race - man against machine.... and Mother Nature's most fearsome elements. --Amazon
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Review by Chad
Added: July 26, 2006
Two brothers and a mutual friend decide to hit up an out-of-the-way bar that doesn't card teenagers for a night of drinking and wanton sex (with some bar wenches, not each another). Honestly, are there any males out there who can say that that doesn't sound like a damned fine way to spend an evening, especially if you're fresh out of high school and about to head off into the real world of college and employment?

The two brothers, Scott (Shane Johnson) and Robby (Jason Dohring), both manage to find a lady to spend the evening with while their friend C.J. (Josh Hammond) is content to stir up trouble with the other bar patrons. When a couple of beefy men decide that they've had enough of C.J.'s antics, a wild bar brawl ensues; needless to say, the trio decides that that's a good cue to get the hell out of dodge. After they get a few miles down the road, however, an ominous black Cadillac starts tailing them. Just as they've managed to get away from said Cadillac, a cop flags them down, introduces himself as Sheriff Charlie (Randy Quaid), and mentions that his police cruiser has broken down. Since it's snowing quite hard and they're out in the middle of nowhere, Charlie reasons, couldn't these fine boys give him a lift to a phone? The foursome head off to a nearby diner, but the black Cadillac decides to make its presence known again - and this time, the driver isn't content to merely follow behind the boys and flash his lights.

Yes, this movie does borrow a page or two from movies such as Joy Ride and Duel, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a good road-thriller; in fact, John Murlowski (the guy responsible for the Hulk Hogan classic Santa With Muscles) has managed to make a film that can stand on its own alongside these classics. While it isn't better than either of the aforementioned titles (well, with the exception of Santa With Muscles, but I wasn't counting that), it does bring a lot of good thrills to the table with a damned fine storyline that will leave you guessing up until the end.

Now, I don't think that it's too much of a spoiler to clue you readers in to the fact that there is a twist ending where everything comes together, the guilty party is exposed to his or her peers, and the reasons for this madness are revealed; if you thought that the movie ended in any other way, well, you must not have watched too many movies in the last couple of years. Obviously, I'm not going to spoil the actual ending of the film, but I will say this: at one point in the film, our heroes get the message that "Your sins will find you", and this leads the group into a flurry of accusations towards one another. Who amongst them has "sinned" and pissed off the driver of this vehicle so bad, or is the driver just playing games with them and trying to turn them against one other? Each person in the car has secrets to hide, and it doesn't take long before the paranoia sets in. This is where the film excels; until you find out who is actually responsible, it's totally believable that any one of the group members could be the one that the driver wants.

The only fault that I could find with this movie was the ending. Up until that point, the movie was full of very intense scenes, superb acting, and it was an all-around great thriller; however, I thought that the ending was a bit of a letdown. This is due to the end revelation itself and the fact that, in my opinion, it just doesn't justify the eighty minutes of events that have preceded it. Again, I don't want to spoil it, so let's just put it like this: imagine that you're responsible for a minor fender-bender one night, and as a result, the other driver kidnaps you and proceeds to go all Hostel on your ass. Would he have a right to be pissed off at you? Sure, but that reaction would be just a little bit overkill, and although it isn't quite that extreme in this film, the general principle is the same.

If that ending had been changed around a bit, this would be a highly recommended film by yours truly. Although said ending is a severe blemish on an otherwise great film, I can still say that this is worthy of a rental for fans of road-movies, thrillers, or entertaining cinema in general. 7/10.
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