Day 146: "A car like this attracts a lot of attention. Have you thought about that?"

So, what happens when you combine an ordinary heist film with a high-tech vehicle film?  Absolutely nothing, and it's name is Black Moon Rising.  Released in 1986 during the heyday of such movies and TV shows as Blue Thunder, Airwolf, and Firefox, Black Moon Rising attempts to cash in on this short-lived sub-genre, but falls short.  Written, to my complete and utter surprise, by John Carpenter (yep, THAT John Carpenter), BMR revolves around the theft of a data tape, critical to the U.S. District Attorney's case against a Las Vegas casino group.  The stolen tape is placed, inexplicably, in an experimental automobile on its way to Los Angeles.  Now this tape was stolen from the casino group by the best professional thief that the FBI could afford, and he just puts it in this car HOPING to get it back.  The experimental car itself is then stolen by a auto theft ring, and from there everything goes incomprehensible.  The story, for what it is, moves along at a good pace, but goes nowhere.

A young Tommy Lee Jones stars as the professional thief, Quint.  He is actually the best thing about the movie, putting his own unique stamp on the character and making  Quint the only fun thing to watch.  I am including the car in that statement.  Linda Hamilton is one of the ringleaders of the auto thieves, and is so wooden, Hayden Christensen wouldn't believe it.  Robert Vaughn is the primary villain, but by the time he was introduced, I really didn't care.

The high-tech vehicle was boring, the acting (for the most part) was awful, and the story seems to have been written during a weekend bender in Tijuana.  There are much better movies in this same mold, my personal favorite being Firefox, but if you see that one, be warned it is really dated in 2011, but still a fun spy flick.  As for  Black Moon Rising, well, every family tree has its Dutch Elm Disease.  4.75/10.

See you tomorrow,  and GO WATCH A MOVIE!!