Black Dog (1998)

Sadly Over-hyped

hyped garbage

Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I have to give this movie a 5 and I'm pretty light on these reviews. And maybe I'm different than a lot of other people Not sure what they were watching but I'm a patrick swayze fan and an 80's fan. Plus I re-watched this movie recently right next to my girlfriend who actually drives truck for a company. So she could explain all the things in it they are mentioned. Which that didn't bother me. I love when its new things they don't explain it to to you in a film. Not every one who watches the movies needs to be spoon fed. If they do then they need to buy the movie re watch it over.But for Patrick Swayze alone I'm giving this a 5. Sorry but meatloaf was funny but his acting was great. And I will continue to post about the lack of female characters and their limited role. This lady was just a good looking and her acting was pretty damn terrible. I mean really. And I was going to let her slide but I can't. Its not original either especially around the time this got made. Their were tons of low budget films where a husband had to support his family or got himself involved with criminals where they threatened the family. And then the plot went on. Kind of reminds me of those late 80's Steven Seagal movies.But the movie is for me a must not watch. I guess cause I was looking of the "next of kin" and picked this up on blue ray for cheap. So I even watched in 1080 and wasn't impressed which says a lot. Cause I watch older movies in 1080 and I just give them 4 points just off the fact I can actually see well into the background.I maybe faulting this movie cause its about trucking and the plot which its there but its just all over the place. Even where the black FBI agent gets shot. Pretty stupid and out of line. The part where the guy is telling locations is pretty dumb. It got so predictable when he went to open the crate up I said to my girlfriend "those are guns". How many movies, (lethal weapon, Beverly hills cop and many others) where they had guns in a crate. My girlfriend even had to explain what weight they had to be at and how close they were to not making weight for a truck. Something the director didn't even play into when they weighed the truck. And then the guard let him go.So the FBI risked a truck with guns, with an agent in it and let them drive it with a person with no license. Don't even get me going on the black dog. My girlfriend had no clue what that is or she didn't really think it was big deal. Cause she barely blinked an eye when that seen came on explaining it. They had some things blowing up, it was good for them. They really missed out on a lot of things in this movie. A couple of great fight scenes in this movie would have been nice and more sarcasm. This was the 90's. Where is the sarcasm at? And this was made in 1998 with movies like saving private Ryan and pleasanttville? Nope not buying the plot. They lacked creativity on this one. This was like a smokey in the bandit mixed with out for justice. Its very rare I review a movie with this low rating and must not see but I have to for this one. It will collect dust in my blu ray collection. And one more thing that could have saved this movie is the lead FBI agent. She was terrible. The police set the tone for the whole movie. The make you feel a good chase coming along. They are about the suspense. And just like in real life police have sarcasm. You should leave a film feeling as they were on the right path then something went wrong at ever turn. Ups and downs like real detectives and real cases. This case made you feel like "put the paper work on my desk I will arrest them when necessary"

The scenario- of transporting guns during daytime along major routes to the same guys who sent you send the guns- is ridiculous. I thought some of the shooting stuff was forgive-able because its a truck- its has many wheels so its hard to stop by shooting at the wheels and the weapons weren't very accurate and the bad guys want the truck to able to transport all the loot away- they think its a lot of guns.But the ending and coda are absurd. The worst organized police sting ever. They get to choose the location and the time and they are actually at the site which is a government site. The "good" guys isn't wired with a recording device. And then they come with lights and sirens. The bad guy could have ditched their guns and then police would have very little evidence- certainly nothing attaching them to illegal guns. The coda is crap with a irrelevant chase- the good guys and family would be in police custody until the whole mess is sorted out- this is the FBI and ATF they are very bureaucratic.

Black dog was not any real inspiration, Swayze's career was still intact. The is an unexceptional action film, the norm, with really a simple scenario, we rely on car crashes, explosions to keep it going, which helps break the tedium of the actor's talk in between, with not the best written characters either, all though I did like the rambling Randy Travis, as the budding song writer. In Black Dog, age has worn and wearied Swayze, who plays a ex con, who did time on account of vehicular manslaughter, where his trucking days are now over. Now with his dream house in foreclosure, as he's just found out, he's trucking days have returned, when he's forced to take a 15 hour truck route offer at his work, he originally turned down, threats and all, to make the cash. This turns out to be a big mistake, as this truck, unbeknown to him, is hauling a lot of gun armor, where Meatloaf, and it's great to see him really seeing red, is ripping off the weaponry, but of course Swayze overpowers him, where now he's in over his head as breaking parole, where it just takes a call, but also his wife and cute little daughter, become hostages. There are a couple of suspense bits, one at a way station, where really they aren't impressive, but this is a standard action if bordering on commonplace movie, with some situations and very few plot points. We have two bickering cops to fill in the rest of the movie. One ATF, the other's FBI, one has a angry temperament, the other much more passive, it's a highpoint of this time passer. Oh they're the best performances in the movie, although Swayze's blonde and beautiful wife in this was good too. Even when we find out one of the trucking crew was FBI, we're not really even surprised, or don't care, which as I said before, they're the most memorably written characters. I admit, some of the action sequences were thrilling and well choreographed, but this is what this movie needed if to survive. It's mostly flat. Meatloaf, like only a couple of other actors turned in good or semi good performances. I did like the shock moment in the second ending with Meatloaf. Sadly Black dog just earns it place in the cheap, average, if B grade standard. One could say it was painfully average. The title actually refers to fatigued and worn truckers who a black dog leaping before them which instinctively has them realizing, when veered over, they're about to hit another vehicle. I'd like to hear other truckers opinions on that.

An ex-con (Patrick Swayze) takes a job driving a truck cross country. What he does not know is that the truck is filled with illegal weapons and now he must fight to survive and save his family.This film is given low ratings, and I suspect the reason is that people wanted it to be more than it is. This is the story of a man who has one chance to make a big score, and he is followed by trouble -- explosions and car crashes ensue. If you wanted more than a nice popcorn-munching film, you put the wrong DVD in, my friend.I enjoyed this one. I did have a question or two about the plot that I think was never fully answered, but then I had to refer myself to the previous paragraph: I was expecting too much and should just relax. After that change of perspective, it is a joy.