From Tab Murphy, the writer of My Best Friend Is A Vampire and several forgettable animated Disney flicks, comes Dark Country, a very low-budget thriller with a flair for the unexplainable. Former Punisher Thomas Jane stars and makes his directorial debut with this one — a tale set in the mystical and mysterious desert of Southern Nevada. A pair of spur-of-the-moment Vegas newlyweds (Jane and costar Lauren German) are en route to Sedona (their first mistake) through the desert (their second) in the middle of the night (the third).
After a bit of bickering over whether or not they’re lost and some good ol’ ice cube foreplay (in the car — their fourth of many more gaffes), the pair come across an accident victim. With no sign of help in sight, they load the lad into the car and continue to drive, hoping to find a hospital, gas station, or even a phone. Unfortunately, this just isn’t their night — and the supernatural forces are hard at work to ensure that neither newlywed will escape the bizarre fates they have been chosen for.
That’s about all I can really say without giving too much of the story away. Granted, there isn’t much to Tab’s story. It certainly isn’t the worst to ever be filmed, but it does come off as what might happen were you to take a few of the really classic B-grade film noirs, puree them with a handful of episodes from The Twilight Zone, and then smear the end result all over David Lynch’s Lost Highway. The old fashioned noir-ism will seem like a nice touch to some, but the low-budget special effects and blatantly obvious usages of green screen may ruin any aesthetically pleasing attributes the movie has for others. Ron Perlman fans will be the most disappointed of all: the big guy only shows up for the last 20 minutes of the film.
Article comments
1 - Fran
That is sad to see Jane didn't have as much control as he should have on this movie. I enjoyed The Punisher.
2 - Luigi Bastardo
I tried to enjoy "The Punisher," but Travolta was absolutely terrible. I think Tom should have broken out some of his "Punisher" skills while he was working on this one.
3 - Fran
Yeah, I tried to look beyond that. ;-) Yes, you are probably right.
4 - jay
I'll think you'll find that Jane had his fingers in the pie until the very end - with the exception of a US theatrical 3D release. A 3D version definitely exists of this cut
5 - Luigi Bastardo
"A 3D version definitely exists of this cut"
Now that I'd like to see.