Directed by Bruce Goodison and written by Virginia Gilbert, a couple who find their jovial cab driver diverts them to a remote, haunted road, revealing disturbing motives and his true intentions. Starring: Nick Frost, Synnøve Karlsen, Luke Norris, Tessa Parr and George Bukhari.
Getting the obvious element out of the way first, Nick Frost is the highlight here. The stars have aligned and we’ve suddenly got Frost in a full-on horror era and it’s the perfect genre for him. He can go either way, he can be the charming, lovable hero, he can be the fool throwing wrenches in the works or, in Black Cab’s case, he can be a dark threat. Interestingly, he does bring a little of those other qualities to this character, there’s a jovial side to him which actually helps to make him feel more disturbing.
Which is only the beginning because Frost also brings a number of different layers to make this cab driver a well-rounded character. Unfortunately, not all of those layers have the chance to be explored in a satisfying way but they do still have a lot to add. His conflict is really the heart of this story, it’s an interesting choice from Virginia Gilbert to not make it more about the victim, Anne (Synnove Karlsen) but instead how the cab driver has arrived at this violent destination.
It works well but at the same time, there just isn’t enough to flesh it out. There’s a lot of waiting on the reveal rather than parcelling out the plot for a better build. Similar could be said of the violence and scare elements, the effects are well done, it’s all good work but it needed more. They’re putting so much on Frost’s shoulders rather than matching his energy with an impactful atmosphere and outside elements. Especially as the supernatural presence doesn’t get a lot of screen time, despite being the driving force of the story.
There’s also not a great deal for the other characters to do, Synnove Karlsen does give us someone to root for in Anne, you want to protect her. She’s a clever, capable character, she’s sympathetic and relatable, especially when she has a terrible partner in Patrick (Luke Norris). Unfortunately, after the first twenty minutes or so, Patrick is completely unnecessary, he has nothing at all to add. There’s the occasional shot to remind us that he’s still there, trying to add to Anne’s panic but it’s already established, so there’s no need.
Black Cab has a great tension and an excellently intimidating performance from Nick Frost but the story doesn’t feel fleshed out enough. The foundation is there, the direction is solid, it leans into the isolation and fear, as well as getting to grips with that claustrophobic element without feeling too closed in. It just feels as though it’s missing something, expanding the plot or bringing in a bigger note of violence, to pack a harsher punch.
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