Black River (2001) (TV)

Director:

Jeff Bleckner

Writers (WGA):

Dean R. Koontz (novel)
Daniel Taplitz (teleplay)

Release Date:

6 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Remote. Controlled.

Plot:

A writer visits a town that isn't what it appears to be. |

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel

Cast

Jay Mohr	...	Boyd 'Bo' Aikens
Lisa Edelstein	...	Laura Crosby
Ann Cusack	...	Mandy Pruell
Ron Canada
Bill Dow
Scott Hylands
Dion Luther
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Mayor Tom Thompson
Patricia Drake	...	Nancy Larshak
Ty Olsson	...	Frank Yarley
Robert Moloney	...	Sculptor
Betty Linde	...	Elderly Woman
Frank C. Turner	...	Farmer
Susan Bain	...	Frannie Fineman
Fulvio Cecere	...	Cop

Also Known As:

Dean Koontz's Black River

MPAA:

Rated PG for some violence and language.

Runtime:

100 min | Australia:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:PG | Australia:M (video rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Bayonne Entertainment

Goofs:

Continuity: Before Bo Aikens meets Laura Crosby in the diner, the blinds behind her change from opened to closed between shots.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Excellent rehash of an old "Star Trek" episode

BLACK RIVER is a great retelling of old TV show episodes, like the "Star Trek" episode where Kirk eventually discovers the townsfolk have been worshiping a computer in a cave. Koontz, who over the years has turned into the best of the three major horror writers with a series of novels that have become downright metaphysical, obviously loves "The Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek" and probably "The Outer Limits." Jay ("Jerry McGuire") Mohr is a writer, originally from Vermont, who has become disillusioned with Los Angeles, and checks out a small Pacific Northwest town only to find he can't leave. Cameras are mounted on every traffic light, in every store and dwelling, and monitor everyone's movements while an unseen hand apparently controls the whole thing. Mohr is excellent as the frustrated prisoner, and is backed up by stellar performances from Ann (sister of Joan and John) Cusack as a too-happy waitress and Lisa ("House, MD") Edelstein as her architect sister who also has become trapped in the bucolic town of Black River. Other than what appears to be a limited budget and the fact it was clearly shot in Canada or some place other than the U.S., it is hard to tell this is a TV movie and not a theatrical release. The writing is first rate, and the actors have a ball with their roles in this old-fashioned paranoia thriller. Highly recommended. I can't wait for Hollywood to adapt any of Koontz's more recent output, which eschew standard horror plots in favor of near-transcendental stories interlaced with intermittent bouts of action.