Turning in an unexpectedly creepy performance, the usually chipper Nick Frost excels in this tightly paced horror thriller.
After an uncomfortably awkward dinner, estranged couple Anne (Synnøve Karlsen) and Patrick (Luke Norris) are considering calling time on more than just their night out. Their double date with another couple doesn’t pan out as planned, and it’s clear that Patrick is an unofficial competition for A-hole of the year. At the very least, Worst Boyfriend/Fiance.
Hailing a black cab, they’re greeted by the disarmingly affable disposition of cabbie Ian (Nick Frost), a chatty guy who seems genuine at first, but as their journey continues, the long dark roads and glances in the rearview mirror reveal a more sinister intent. I’ll refrain from going into details about what happens en route, but with the talk of a haunted road and a ghostly woman who dwells there, Black Cab takes a couple of wild plot swings.
I’m a big fan of movies that play actors against type; the 2022 film I Came By turned Hugh Bonneville, best known for playing Lord Lovely Cuddleson (aka Robert Crawley) on Downton Abbey, into a psychotic killer. Here, Frost is full (at first) of everything you expect from him; he’s got that everyman charm and quick wit. However, that all gives way to something less warm and charming and more nightmare fuel.
Running at a lean 85 minutes, director Bruce Goodison keeps things moving, which sometimes presents a slight issue as there’s a fair amount of running time spent on a dark stretch of road. Thankfully, the next slice of tension is just around the next bend, but there are times when the balance between a real-world kidnapping by a disturbed man and the ongoing supernatural element is at narrative odds. Ultimately, that’s a minor quibble in a ruthlessly effective horror that is (for the most part) a two-hander (2 and a half) between Frost and a powerful performance from Synnøve Karlsen (who featured in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho).
Not wasting a single second of its running time, Black Cab is a effective thriller that might give you pause the next time you need a taxi.
Black Cab is out on Blu-ray, DVD and digital April 7 courtesy of Acorn Media International.
