Black Dog (1998): Dir: Kevin Hooks / Cast: Patrick Swayze, Randy Travis, Meatloaf, Charles S. Dutton, Brenda Strong: Nauseating chunk of dirt with lame dialogue such as, "You're finished Crews!" Title refers to long-distance truckers who believe that a black dog is charging for the windshield. Smart people call it drunk driving and accept responsibility as oppose to blaming it all on man's best friend. It bares little to the plot but that is Patrick Swayze's excuse when he swerves and kills two people resulting in a two year prison stay. Patrick Swayze reluctantly accepts a job of illegal transporting of weapons. He cannot trust his companions, bullets are flying, and trucks flip over and explode. And if that isn't enough, he will be met with the reality that this film sucks. Director Kevin Hooks handles the action well but the screen writing is a problem all its own. Swayze is cardboard while Randy Travis plays an embarrassing country singing trucker. Meatloaf plays a villain that is about as threatening as Ronald McDonald. He shouts threats over the phone that are unfortunately not aimed at whoever talked him into signing on to this film to begin with. Brenda Strong plays Swayze's wife who likely suspects his bullshit and just plays good wife because that is all the screenplay can summon her to do. The film is about as exciting as a kick in the crotch. A suggestion would be to use one of those trucks to run this film over. Score: 1 / 10
Review of Black Dog
