Black Cadillac
Directed by John Murlowski
Starring Randy Quaid, Shane Johnson, Josh Hammond, and Jason Dohring
Release Date: 2005
DVD Encoding: Region 1
Rated R

It’s always amazing what can come from the truth. Black Cadillac is a based-on-a-true-story movie, which stems from a late-night experience when director John Murlowski and his friends were chased by a car through some backcountry roads.

However, there is a little bit more than car chasing going on in the movie, but not much. Like his experience, the movie centers on the adventures of two friends and a kid brother one snowy night in Wisconsin. After the three lay waste to nearly everyone in a roadhouse brawl, they hit the road and soon encounter an ominous black Cadillac.

While the questionable car is identified as a ’57 Cadillac Eldorado, the car in the movie is actually a 1957 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 Limousine. Don’t be fooled. Fortunately, the encounters with the phantom Caddy escalates when the boys pick up a stranded Deputy Sheriff played by Randy Quaid. Randy eggs the boys into drag racing against the Caddy with their Saab 9000. He also seems okay with the fact that there are open beer bottles in the car and that they severely pummeled some people just a few minutes ago.

For the remaining countless hours of the movie, the boys run from the Cadillac then chase it, then run, and then chase. Watch the roads during these scenes. At one moment, everyone is careening through white, snow-packed roads and then suddenly every trace of snow is gone. Suddenly, it’s back again and then gone once more. Also, if you watch closely enough, the whole chase seems to occur on a big loop.

The movie does try to build suspense outside of the chasing. One question is why does CJ have a massive scar on his face, and the other concerns someone’s “hidden sin.” The real question should be why does Scott freak out over poor grammar? Oh, and there is the who’s-driving-the-Caddy question. While this is based on a true story, it’s not Amityville or Texas Chainsaw true. The answers to these questions are predictable and better left unanswered, except for the nutty grammar thing.

Director John Murlowski exposed his hidden sin by making this movie. Don’t expose yours by renting it.