After often showcasing his skills in the world of comedy, Nick Frost is tapping into a new side of performing with Black Cab. Frost is best known for his work co-leading the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy with Simon Pegg, while also finding success with everything from 2011’s Attack the Block to his and Pegg’s sci-fi comedy Paul, AMC’s Into the Badlands and Fighting with My Family. Beyond straightforward comedy, Frost has also starred in more horror-driven fare, including Slaughterhouse Rulez and Truth Seekers, the latter of which he co-created with Pegg.
Black Cab primarily focuses on Synnøve Karlsen’s Anne, a young woman who is reluctantly about to resume her relationship with Luke Norris’ Patrick, a brazen, self-centered man. When a night out with friends slowly descends into frustrations between them, they hail a cab to go home, with the charming driver Ian, played by Frost, quickly turning into a maniacal captor as he zip-ties them and tells them they’re heading toward a supposedly haunted road. With seemingly few options, Anne must think on her feet if she hopes to get her and Patrick out of the situation.
Nick Frost Is A Surprisingly Effective Villain
His Jovial Nature Nicely Betrays His Menacing Potential
One of the best things Black Cab has going for it is Frost as the villainous taxi driver, who comes in around the 10-minute mark. Considering Frost’s aforementioned comedy background, the actor could have gone in a more outlandish direction with his character, particularly since he contributed extra written material for the horror film. Yet, he finds a proper balance between the lighter side of his character and the more menacing one that makes his performance all the more effective.
…it’s so easy to like Frost’s character right from the jump.
By the time we meet Ian, writer David Michael Emerson and director Bruce Goodison have already pulled one of their most effective tricks by distracting us with the truly scummy nature of Patrick that we’re almost not expecting any other villain until we see Frost’s familiar face. In the first few moments of the ride, Ian does everything from sing one of his favorite old tunes on the radio to threaten to throw Patrick out or even sit on him, and it’s so easy to like Frost’s character right from the jump.
When he does begin making his shift toward the villainous side of things, there are admittedly a few moments when Frost’s portrayal isn’t quite perfect. It’s not necessarily on the wrong side of bad, but it’s not on the right side of good either. Whether it was his back-and-forth approach to talking to Anne, or his devolving mindset leading to some surreal antics, there were a few moments where, despite his generally grounded portrayal, I occasionally found myself taken out of it.
Bruce Goodison’s Direction Is A Surreal Fever Dream
When Paired With Gazelle Twin’s Music, The Movie Is An Atmospheric Dream
Black Cab has a pitch-perfect combination of Goodison’s surreal direction and Gazelle Twin’s ethereal score. Goodison and cinematographer Adam Etherington nicely capture the claustrophobic nature of Anne and Patrick’s fateful ride with Ian, keeping the camera appropriately close to all three, while also recognizing how to frame each character to match where they are in their respective arcs — be it captive, captor, or somewhere in between.
When the movie gets to the more supernatural side of things, the duo also look to have been inspired by the right mix of fantasy and surreal horror to deliver on that front. Between the dreamlike visions Anne has of the various spirits in the movie to Ian’s haunting flashbacks and hallucinations, the movie becomes a gorgeous visual treat, even as the visuals prove effectively chilling. All of this combined with Twin’s unique musical score creates a rich atmosphere that keeps us drawn for the majority of the movie’s 87-minute runtime.
Black Cab Is Ultimately Let Down By Its Pacing & Plot
A Lack Of Answers & Seemingly Circular Story Nearly Undermine Everything
One of the only downsides to Black Cab is its story. Starting out as a general suspenseful tale of a cab ride gone wrong before shifting into a ghost story, the movie certainly earns points for creativity in blending the two together, particularly with the early reveal of Ian actually having known Anne prior. That said, by going for a more classical approach to the ghost story with little to no answers makes it a bit underwhelming.
Related
Don’t Move Review: Expansive Spaces Make Way For Claustrophobic Terror In Sam Raimi-Produced Horror
Don’t Move creates a beautiful parallel between the vast expanse of the outdoors and the claustrophobia of a woman trapped in her own body.
I’m certainly not opposed to more ambiguous endings in the horror genre, particularly ones that are meant to make us discuss and analyze the potential meanings behind them, but I couldn’t help but find the attempt to do this underwhelming in Black Cab. The ending seems to present a circular theme to the characters, indicating they may be trapped in some kind of ghostly limbo, and yet, with little backstory for Anne and Patrick and nearly an abundance for Ian, it’s never quite clear whose limbo we may be in, or why we should ultimately care.
Black Cab begins streaming on Shudder on November 8. The film is 87 minutes long and not rated.
7/10
Black Cab: A thriller about a couple whose cab ride takes an unexpected turn when their seemingly friendly driver diverts them to a desolate, haunted road, ultimately revealing his sinister intentions. Released in 2024, the film delves into themes of trust and deception in a chilling narrative.
- Nick Frost is absolutely chilling as the movie’s villain.
- Bruce Goodison’s direction is appropriately surreal and claustrophobic.
- Gazelle Twin’s score is nicely ethereal.
- The movie’s overall atmosphere is tense and compelling.
- The other lead actors can’t quite match Frost, though not terrible.
- The plot feels a little inconsistent in its pacing, and the ambiguous ending doesn’t work.