User reviews

"Black Moon Rising" is a formulaic and predictable but nevertheless entertaining and fast-paced thriller based on a story originally written by no less than John Carpenter. Apparently he wrote it in the 70's already, but the content was admirably processed and adapted in order for the events to take place in a typically 80's setting with even faster cars and contemporary hot starlets like Linda Hamilton that are, in fact, most unattractive by today's standards. Tommy Lee Jones, on the other, rarely looked cooler than here in his role as super-thief Sam Quint. Quint is hired to steal a tape containing evidence against a dodgy company, but quickly finds himself chased by the company's fanatic security guards as well as his governmental employer. Quint hides the tape inside a prototype race car (one that reaches up to 350mph!), but before he has a proper opportunity to recover it, the wheels get stolen by a professionally organized syndicate of car thieves. That's how Quint meets and gradually falls for Hamilton's character Nina, as she's a sly and experienced kleptomaniac! "Black Moon Rising" is a prototypic example of an action movie in which one little handling (like hiding a tape in the truck of a car) snowballs into a gigantic avalanche of clichéd but even so enjoyable situations until a grotesque finale is inevitable. In this case the finale involves an impressive piece of stunt car driving at great height. Literally! It's a forgettable and lightweight 80's action movie, but Harry Cokeliss' direction is fairly competent and the dull moments can easily be count on the fingers of one hand. Robert Vaughn is on automatic pilot (pun intended) in his confident role of relentless crime boss and there are some neat cameos from familiar names like Keenan Wynn, William Sanderson and Richard Jaeckal. Nothing special, but definitely a fine choice if you seek mindless rainy-Sunday afternoon entertainment.

Tommy Lee Jones in a love scene??!! Yikes: what a scary thought. It happened maybe only once on film in his illustrious career. This is that film. With Linda Hamilton, too! I guess this is another version of her TV show, "Beauty and The Beast."

Okay, I don't mean to be that nasty because Jones is a terrific actor and usually a lot of fun to watch, especially when he's chasing bad guys.

This film really had a Class B-type of feel to it despite the presence of those two actors, along with Robert Vaughn and Richard Jaekel....and a very cool car called "Black Moon."

The best thing about the movie was that it was fast-moving, meaning it was interesting enough not to get bored. Other than that, it's an ordinary heist tale that isn't too memorable.

No Tommy Lee Jones fan should miss this outing. While it's not great cinema, it IS great fun. The action is top-notch and the characters are appealing. The relationship between Jones and Hamilton is surprising well-balanced for an 80s action film and some of the lines are definitely ones to put in the memory bank and quote. It has a bit of everything for a fun rent (or purchase) - action, romance, coldly wicked villains, a flawed hero, a strong heroine, humor and a bit of pathos. (Watch the emotions play across Jones' face in his conversation with Keenan Wynn.) It's a favorite in my circle of film fans.

Black Moon Rising" is a film that promised an action-packed, thrilling experience but unfortunately falls short of delivering on its potential. The plot revolves around a thief, played by Tommy Lee Jones, who is hired by the government to steal a crucial tape that ends up disappearing when he hides it in a high-tech racing car. While this premise sounds intriguing and ripe for excitement, the movie fails to capitalize on its concept.

The pacing of "Black Moon Rising" is one of its most significant issues. Instead of the high-octane action and suspense one might expect from an action/thriller, the film often feels more like a drama, moving slowly and lacking the tension necessary to keep viewers engaged. This slow pace makes the movie feel uneventful and predictable, leaving little to keep the audience invested in the story.

Despite the presence of notable actors like Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Hamilton, their performances are unable to elevate the material. The chemistry between them is underwhelming, and the characters they portray are not compelling enough to make up for the film's shortcomings. The script does not provide them with the depth or interesting dialogue needed to shine.

One of the few highlights of the movie is the special effects of the super-powered car, which are indeed impressive and add a bit of visual flair. However, even this element is not enough to save the film from its overall dullness. The car is a cool concept, but it is not utilized in a way that enhances the excitement or intrigue of the story.

In summary, "Black Moon Rising" is a disappointing film that fails to live up to its action/thriller billing. The slow pacing, lackluster performances, and predictable plot make it a forgettable experience. Despite the potential shown in its premise and special effects, it does little to entertain or thrill, making it a movie that is easy to skip.

I remember seeing Black Moon Rising on the shelves in the video store when I was just a little one, digging through the dusty cassette covers in the kung fu section. It had caught my eye with that awesome looking car on the front, along with the hilarious Supervan!

And even though it was the eighties, where video stores were a little more lax on ratings, it was still something I never really jumped at hiring.

Moving on 25 years and as both a fan of eighties movies, and as an independent film director, I have been going back to those films of my childhood that I was never lucky enough to see!

I recently picked up Black Moon Rising in my local Poundland, and couldn't wait to get it on screen. As an actor, I think Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic! Yet, at the same time, I find him very hard to watch... I think it's that accent. To me, it seems exaggerated for the most part. But in BMR we have a younger Jones who is a little more appealing.

In a nutshell - John Carpenter's story and screenplay isn't Oscar winning, but it is a hell of a lot better than most eighties flicks, and is highly entertaining! Action, twists, plenty of stars and some chuckles help fill out this adventure thriller that is worth the watch!

In my opinion - Anti-hero Quick (Mr Jones) pulls off his role of a professional thief with such calm and coolness rarely seen in today's cinema. Because of this, he comes across as a much more likable character than usual. Anti-heroine of the hour, Linda Hamilton, squeezes as much of her big hair and cheekbones out of every scene, jumping in on the action as much as her co-star does as the ultimate car thief who falls for her victim.

BMR hardly drags anywhere in its running time, with the excitement kicking off from the get-go mixing car chases with tense escapes, dark murders with great stunt work leading to a fun end showdown that ties it all up nicely!

Black Moon Rising is well worth the watch and still entertains almost 30 years later...

Former high-tech thief turned government agent Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) must find a means of retrieving a stolen super-car named the Black Moon, which has hidden inside of her a data tape the FBI desperately wants, from a skyscraper/fortress run by a criminal mastermind named Ryland (Robert Vaughn), who has an whole underground operation dedicated to the redistribution of stolen vehicles and is more than willing to resort to murder in order to protect himself and his organization. Quint's only link to the inside may be one of Ryland's own car thieves, a spirited young woman named Nina (played by Linda Hamilton), if Quint can convince her to help?

Never before have I witnessed such an outstanding cast in such a by the numbers action thriller, a movie that essentially owes its plot, believe it or not based on a story by John Carpenter, more to "Knight Rider" than anything else. Jones tries to add some humor to this one's always much too serious atmosphere but it's not enough to make this even the least bit memorable. Despite some good stunts arguably ahead of their time in some respects, everything just feels so routine and ho-hum here it's as though everyone was just hoping to get this turkey done and collect their paychecks as quickly as possible before moving on to other projects. Forgettable. Watch "Knight Rider" instead.

Sometimes even movies released into regular circulation from the major studios fall through the cracks. This is definitely one of those. Tommy Lee Jones as the industrial spy is as cool and calm as he's ever been. Linda Hamilton is as good as she's ever been and Richard Jaekel turns in another steady performance. The plot is clever and tight enough to satisfy most and the directing by Harley Cockliss (whatever happened to him? This seems to be his only outing) is tight and well paced. The first twenty to thirty minutes of the film were surprisingly good. The story opened briskly, there was some very sharp dialogue (some of it written by John Carpenter, who had originally been hired to direct), and one solid (and underrated) car chase between Jones and Linda Hamilton. This is just a good action thriller, and it has one of the best fist-fight scenes ever.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

Made before Tommy Lee Jones was a household name, but after Linda Hamilton had endured her first encounter against The Terminator, Black Moon Rising is a simplistic action flick of little consequence. Unmemorable and formulaic from start to finish, it is the kind of film you can watch without once requiring to shift your brain out of first gear. In fact, chances are your brain may not even make it out of neutral!

Super-thief Quint (Jones) steals an important disk. However, when the heat turns on he has to hide this stolen item, so he puts it in a racing car being towed across the American mid-west. His plan is to follow the racing car for a while and to retrieve the disk at a safer time. Seems like a good plan, until ace car thief Nina (Hamilton) shows up and steals the racing car for her boss Ryland (Robert Vaughn). Quint must get his disk back, but he must first get into Ryland's ultra-secure, high-tech lair where the racing car is being kept.

The film was written by John Carpenter (who directed Hallowe'en and The Thing, among others) but you'd be hard pushed to find any of his trademark flair here. This film's director, the little-known Harley Cokliss, strips the script of any novelty it may have had and presents the film in utterly routine fashion. There's an outrageous car stunt near the end which may encourage you to press the rewind button a couple of times, but beyond that Black Moon Rising fails to register a single memorable moment. One for Tommy Lee's completists only, I'm afraid.

Tommy Lee Jones plays Quint, a professional thief hired by the government to acquire a tape that will incriminate a major corporation. While he is taking it on the lam, he quickly stashes the tape inside an experimental super-car (the "Black Moon" of the title), which is then stolen by another professional thief, Nina (Linda Hamilton) and her precision team. When the two thieves meet, sparks fly, but Quint will be in big trouble if he doesn't get that tape back. So he teams up with two of the cars' designers to take on Ninas' big bad evil boss Ed Ryland (Robert Vaughn).

The first screenplay ever sold by beloved genre filmmaker John Carpenter, it spent years in development before finally becoming a reality, released by New World in 1986. It's exactly what one would hope it would be: engaging, pedal-to-the-metal nonsense. It's well-paced, it's sexy, it's violent, the car itself is a marvel to behold, and there's some real high-tech finesse displayed by "heroes" and villains alike. It also has a heart, evident in scenes with the great Keenan Wynn (in his penultimate feature film appearance) and Jones.

The real interest here lies in this eclectic cast. We have a typically charismatic, cool-as-can-be Jones (who apparently did most of his own stunts and came up with a lot of Quints' wisecracks) in the lead, an appealing Hamilton as his love interest, football player turned "Police Academy" regular Bubba Smith as a federal agent, Richard Jaeckel, Dan Shor, and William Sanderson as the Black Moons' creators, punk rocker & occasional actor Lee Ving as Jones' persistent nemesis, and Nick Cassavetes as a henchman. Vaughn is smooth and amusingly slimy in the kind of white-collar bad guy he could play in his sleep. Al White, one of the jive talking dudes from "Airplane!", has a bit as a maintenance man.

"Black Moon Rising" is overall a fairly routine, somewhat futuristic B action picture, but is still quite agreeable on that level.

Seven out of 10.

Worth missing unless you're really hard pressed for something to watch. It's really amazing how a movie can go so wrong even with talented actors but without any kind of a decent script/plot or decent directing and especially editing.

Miss it.

Great film that takes me back to the '80s in a good way.

I agree with the positive reviews already posted and fondly remember "Black Moon Rising" projected on the giant screen at the Virgina Theater in Champaign, IL. The car chase scenes are tremendous and they don't trash the Dodge Daytona Turbo. I was driving the same car at the time and it has always been my favorite vehicle.

Considering the participation of John Carpenter and Roger Corman it really is a "good little film" as everyone seem to call it. New World released several of these small gems in the '80s. "The Philadelphia Experiment" and "Eddie and the Cruisers" come to mind. Small budgets, great stories and terrific acting in films that actually improve with age.

Any film with Tommy Lee Jones is worth a look and Linda Hamilton is always a looker. Check it out.

Nice little film this though some may disagree! Of course, I'm a fan of this kind of low-budget action/sci-fi fare, and the fact that John Carpenter wrote the screenplay is a bonus. While it does come across as a TV movie, or a pilot for a series that never was, it keeps rolling along with enough action to please the most hardened of late-night, post-pub film fan. It's funny how many programmes featured suped up vehicles in the 80's, and while Black Moon should be linked most closely to Knightrider, I think it has a lot more in common with Streethawk. Tommy-Lee Jones is excellent in the lead role and it's nice to see him in a younger incarnation, getting involved in all the gritty events.

All in all, a good, hidden gem of a film. Give it a try!

Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) is an unflappable thief who is hired by the FBI agent Johnson (Bubba Smith) to steal data from the Lucky Dollar Corporation. Company goon Marvin Ringer (Lee Ving) recognizes him as he escapes. He hides the tape in an experimental car during a gas station stopover. Nina (Linda Hamilton) leads a car theft ring and steals the prototype Black Moon. It's a high tech operation inside a highrise fortress run by Ed Ryland (Robert Vaughn).

At least the car chases are real but it doesn't make them exciting. There are lots of things that seems cheesy watching it this many years later. The chop shop operation is unreal. It's like some sort of Bond villain hideout. Part of me wondered if the elevator would open up to a shark tank when killing that guy. The car is also cheesy and doesn't hold up. There is the setup where the FBI has hired a thief to steal evidence. How is that ever legal? It would easily be discovered and rule inadmissible in court. The script from John Carpenter is not well thought out. This is a B-movie cobbling together Knight Rider, some interesting actors, a heist and a couple of car chases. It's better made than most other B-movies. In a minor note, they are steering way too much in that car. It looks out of control. On the other hand, it can claim jumping a car from one highrise to another.

A typical 80's action film with an anything but typical plot, Black Moon Rising is not only a film with a memorable story but also admirable acting. Jones, as usual, delivers a great performance, with Linda Hamilton and the always watchable Robert Vaughn backing him up with their immense talent. Above average stunts, an intriguing score, and a fast-paced and, at times, light-hearted script all combine to form a fun and memorable film.

The FBI hires professional thief Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) to steal some data tapes. But he's caught in the act and has to hide the tapes in a prototype super car called the Black Moon. But then the Black Moon is stolen by a car thief (Linda Hamilton) working for big bad guy Ryland (Robert Vaughn). Entertaining popcorn thriller directed by Harley Cokeliss from a story by John Carpenter. Tommy Lee Jones drops one-liners and attracts babes like a true Carpenter hero. Linda Hamilton is great as sexy car thief Nina. She gets the most character attention of anybody in the film. She's also lovely to look at, with her full lips and big '80s hair that she rocked so well. Robert Vaughn redeems himself from Superman III with a nice hissable turn as a villain here. Lee Ving and Bubba Smith appear as thorns in our hero's side. An underrated movie and a fun one.

No story, sums up this no brainier action film; I forgot about this film until I saw an old pay tv trailer for this film. Linda Hamalton does her usual non acting, and uses sexuality as her only acting tribute. She is not that good looking either to play that role. In the end Tommy Lee took the money and ran with this film. There's worse films out there, but they sure are hard to find.

Nothing new in this generic and almost lifeless picture who owns its good moments thankful to the charismatic Tommy Lee Jones, who plays the thief hired by the FBI to steal vital information about a corrupt company. It all complicates when he's followed by the company's security after stealing the info which was hidden in a supersonic new car, object of desire of another thief (Linda Hamilton) who works for another corrupt company, commanded by a powerful businessman (Robert Vaughn). The goal is to take the car and the info out of it, and escape the bad guys who are always on his way.

Even having John Carpenter as a writer of this film, "Black Moon Rising" doesn't fly high in ambition. But it's more of a direction problem (Carpenter is not commanding this but it's unknown Harley Cokeliss who's behind this). It offers moderate action sequences that aren't vivid in the memory for too long - the car chases have their qualities while the fight scenes seem a little exaggerated with everyone fighting karate style instead of a more street level kind of fight, something in which we would believe more if seeing characters like those (robbers and security staff members) doing it. The only real exciting part was when TLJ crossed the two towers, a breathless scene that makes it all the while of going through dramatic conversations and some flirting between Hamilton and Jones, somewhat humored but created without interest for us in the audience. The story just wasn't important. Good for some snores in between.

Why I liked it? Well, Mr. Jones was the man here. Always great and with an unique sense of humor, he makes of this a good entertainment with this good-hearted robber who even has time to teach young beginners in the field, as exemplified right in the first scene. Typical case of a movie where the actor carries the whole movie on his back and succeeds. And it was good to see Bubba Smith doing something outside of "Police Academy", here he plays the FBI agent who commands Jones mission. Oh the car! It was fun to watch, it's really fast and sparks some fire but it's no Batmobile or Kit the supercar.

It was OK. Passable, destined only for those really interested in classic adventure flicks from the 1980's. 6/10

Run-of-the-mill action movie with thrills , intrigue , exciting situations, nudism and some gruesome scenes of violence ; being based on an idea by John Carpenter concerning the theft of a new jet-powered car and its involvement in a FBI investigation . It deals with Sam Quint (Tommy Lee Jones) , he's a previous robber hired by the FBI to steal a computer disk which contains incriminating evidence against a powerful corporation . After stealing the disk, Quint is chased by Marvin Ringer (Lee Ving). At the same time, a prototype car called the Black Moon, is being tested in the desert by Earl Windom (Richard Jaeckel). Quint and Windom later cross paths at a gas station , where Quint hides the disk in the back bumper of the Black Moon . Along the way , Quint is threatened by FBI agent Johnson (Bubba Smith) and while a group of auto thieves , led by Nina (Linda Hamilton), steals the fantastic car . There's a darker side to Sam Quint. Steal from him and you'll find out... From the mind of John Carpenter comes the towering adventure that thunders across Los Angeles and explodes 30 stories above it!

In the film there is non-stop action , breathtaking pursuits , suspense , thrills , impressive leaps between two buildings , and a little bit of violence . Solid interpretations and steady action enhance the routine effort , though the material is mostly pedestrian . Resulting to be a hackneyed but entertaining film with ups and downs . From the beginning to finish the frantic action-packed and fast-moving are continued and that's why it turns out to be fun enough . It's a so-so picture , the only redeeming point of this little car theft number is its occasional accent on humor . Unfortunately , the lighter moments are few and far between . Here the main attraction is the spectacular prototype automobile called Black Moon which can reach speeds of 325 MPH and runs on tap water. This picture represents one of a handful of films in the seventies starring Tommy Lee Jones playing tough and brave agents , rebels or avengers in which he exacts his assignments by violent and expeditive ways , such as : Eyes of Laura Mars , War Zone : The Park , Rolling Thunder , Jackson County Jail . He's well accompanied by a good cast , such as : Linda Hamilton , Robert Vaughn , Richard Jaeckel, Lee Ving , Bubba Smith, William Sanderson, Nick Cassavetes and veteran Keenan Wynn.

It contains an atmospheric and moving musical score by Lalo Schifrin in his usual style . As well as functional and adequate cinematography by Misha Suslov . The motion picture was regularly directed by Harley Cokeliss . This filmmaker is a good artisan directing some decent films such as : Paris Connections , An Angel for May , Warlords of the 21st Century , Dream Demon , That Summer , Black Moon , The Battle of Billy's Pond , Malone , and making episodes of popular series, such as : Dark Knight , The Immortal , Xena and Hercules. Rating : 4.5/10 . Average . The pic will appeal to Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Hamilton enthusiasts . Only for their fans .

In "Black Moon Rising" (1986) Tommy Lee Jones plays a professional thief hired by the FBI to apprehend a data tape to incriminate a questionable company. Oddly enough, once he gets the tape he's forced to hide it on a prototype supercar, which is stolen by a woman (Linda Hamilton) who works for a professional car-theft ring led by a character played by Robert Vaughn. Richard Jaeckel plays the inventor of the supercar and Bubba Smith an intimidating FBI official.

While the film was written and produced by John Carpenter and features the stars noted above, the budget was limited, which is evident in a few areas. For instance, the supercar -- named Black Moon --looks rather cheesy, although I'm sure it looked neato futuristic in the mid-80s. Nevertheless the outlandish story keeps your attention, particularly the interesting caper in the third act, borrowing elements of other 80's films/shows like James Bond, "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), Knight Rider and "Terminator" (1984). Hamilton is likable as always, but the feminine eye candy is limited to her and she's too thin for my tastes. Still, you can't go wrong with Linda.

The film runs 100 minutes and was shot in Lancaster, Hollywood and Los Angeles, California.

GRADE: B-

John Carpenter might have cooked up the story for Black Moon Rising, but he clearly deemed it unworthy of his further attention, selling the screenplay to be brought to life by the far less talented Harley Cokeliss (Battletruck, Dream Demon). Tommy Lee Jones is the star of the show, playing professional thief Quint, who is hired by the government to steal tapes from a Las Vegas corporation being investigated for racketeering and tax evasion. Hiding the tapes in the back of an experimental prototype car called Black Moon, Quint runs into trouble when the vehicle is stolen by a ring of car thieves, who take it to the fortress-like lair of villain Ed Ryland (Robert Vaughn). Now it is up to Quint, the super-car's owners, and sexy car-jacker Nina (Linda Hamilton) to break into the building and try and retrieve the car and its precious cargo.

Jones is his usual gruff self, and lends this formulaic B-movie nonsense an air of class (although his unibrow is a little distracting) and Hamilton is a capable sidekick and love interest (the actress shedding her clothes for a brief sex scene), but, a couple of well-handled fight scenes aside, Cokeliss' direction is rather pedestrian. For a film about a car that can travel at incredible speed, the action is rather slow at times (the titular car spends much of the time in lock-up). The film's climax, in which the Black Moon leaps from one high-rise building to another, is barely worth the wait (although it obviously impressed someone enough for them to re-enact the scene, not once, but twice, in Fast and the Furious 7).