Black Moon Rising (1986)

Too much of everything

People are voting emotionally.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

I remember seeing Black Moon Rising on the shelves in the video store when I was just a little one, digging through the dusty cassette covers in the kung fu section. It had caught my eye with that awesome looking car on the front, along with the hilarious Supervan!And even though it was the eighties, where video stores were a little more lax on ratings, it was still something I never really jumped at hiring.Moving on 25 years and as both a fan of eighties movies, and as an independent film director, I have been going back to those films of my childhood that I was never lucky enough to see!I recently picked up Black Moon Rising in my local Poundland, and couldn't wait to get it on screen. As an actor, I think Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic! Yet, at the same time, I find him very hard to watch... I think it's that accent. To me, it seems exaggerated for the most part. But in BMR we have a younger Jones who is a little more appealing.In a nutshell - John Carpenter's story and screenplay isn't Oscar winning, but it is a hell of a lot better than most eighties flicks, and is highly entertaining! Action, twists, plenty of stars and some chuckles help fill out this adventure thriller that is worth the watch!In my opinion - Anti-hero Quick (Mr Jones) pulls off his role of a professional thief with such calm and coolness rarely seen in today's cinema. Because of this, he comes across as a much more likable character than usual. Anti-heroine of the hour, Linda Hamilton, squeezes as much of her big hair and cheekbones out of every scene, jumping in on the action as much as her co-star does as the ultimate car thief who falls for her victim.BMR hardly drags anywhere in its running time, with the excitement kicking off from the get-go mixing car chases with tense escapes, dark murders with great stunt work leading to a fun end showdown that ties it all up nicely!Black Moon Rising is well worth the watch and still entertains almost 30 years later...

Somewhat silly actioner here as Tommy Lee Jones (yessss) in all his mid 80's glory, goes against Linda Hamilton (whaaaaa?) and yes, Robert Vaughn to retrieve a tape he stored in a VEHICLE FROM THE FUTURE! Actually, the vehicle is a mighty fast car, and Jones stored that tape in there so that the OTHER bad guys don't find it while punching Jones silly. Meanwhile, Hamilton looks all pouty and mean in her high hair while trying to take orders from her mean boss. But Tommy Lee Jones' sex appeal is too much for her! Ha ha! Soon she's putty in his hands and joins him to get rid of Vaughn. Verrrrrry 80's here, with the clothes the music etc, so you might enjoy it for the sheer cheesiness, other then that... well..

Former high-tech thief turned government agent Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) must find a means of retrieving a stolen super-car named the Black Moon, which has hidden inside of her a data tape the FBI desperately wants, from a skyscraper/fortress run by a criminal mastermind named Ryland (Robert Vaughn), who has an whole underground operation dedicated to the redistribution of stolen vehicles and is more than willing to resort to murder in order to protect himself and his organization. Quint's only link to the inside may be one of Ryland's own car thieves, a spirited young woman named Nina (played by Linda Hamilton), if Quint can convince her to help? Never before have I witnessed such an outstanding cast in such a by the numbers action thriller, a movie that essentially owes its plot, believe it or not based on a story by John Carpenter, more to "Knight Rider" than anything else. Jones tries to add some humor to this one's always much too serious atmosphere but it's not enough to make this even the least bit memorable. Despite some good stunts arguably ahead of their time in some respects, everything just feels so routine and ho-hum here it's as though everyone was just hoping to get this turkey done and collect their paychecks as quickly as possible before moving on to other projects. Forgettable. Watch "Knight Rider" instead.

I saw this in the theatre when it came out and remembered it fondly. I purchased a used DVD for five bucks and took it home and watched it. I knew I was in trouble when the opening screen said "strat movie" that' s supposed to be "start movie". It was pan and scan which I hate and looked like a direct transfer from video tape. It was some brand X Japanese company's version. The movie definitely had a TV feel to it. I'd forgotten that John Carpenter had a hand in it. The Black Moon of the title is an experimental super car which becomes a stash for Tommy Lee Jones' thief's ill-gotten tape of info purloined on behalf of the Gov. Linda Hamilton's character, looking a lot like Joan Crawford in some shots, steals the Black Moon along with a group of other cars for Robert(I'm The Man from Uncle, dammit!)Vaughn's Mr. Big. Tommy and Linda team up to get the car/tape back amidst hitandruns, beatings,hankypanky,and high-speed chases. I'm sorry but it just wasn't as good as I had remembered. The car itself was pretty cool and Tommy is always fun to watch. I see that there is a better version out now in widescreen so get that one and avoid the no frills cheapy. It's worth a look.