My Cultural Diet

Here’s another one of those movies that’s fascinated me ever since I saw its VHS cover in the video rental store. It’s title is so enigmatic, however, that the actual storyline was bound to be a letdown. A professional thief (Tommy Lee Jones, who looks both way younger and way older than 40 here) is hired by the government to steal evidence from a company under investigation. He’s forced to hide that evidence in an experimental car, which is subsequently stolen by a beautiful car thief (Linda Hamilton), and he must figure out how to retrieve it before the government’s deadline. Black Moon Rising’s got some sci-fi, some action, and some heisting, and all of it awash in noir lighting, big hair, and vintage ’80s style. Unfortunately, the movie’s never more than the sum of its parts, and ends up feeling like a glorified Knight Rider episode (minus the talking car). Or maybe that’s just my inner 12-year-old’s expectations not being met. As for the titular car, my inner 12-year-old might think it’s rad, but it looks almost as ridiculous as a Cybertruck to 49-year-old me, who is much more taken with Jones’ Dodge Daytona Turbo Z. Fun fact: Black Moon Rising was written by John Carpenter, and I can’t help wondering what might’ve been had he sat in the director’s chair. That, and one of his classic synthesizer scores would’ve been a much better fit than Lalo Schifrin’s easy-listening lite jazz score.

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