Starring
Ron Thompson, Voices of Jose Rosete, Matthew Rosvally, Corbin
Timbrook, Mark Wood, Danika Fields. Directed by James Dylan. (2018/80
min).
AVAILABLE ON DVD FROM
WILD EYE RELEASING
AVAILABLE ON DVD FROM
WILD EYE RELEASING
Review
by Tiger the Terribleđź
I'm
not sure what the brackets around the title are supposed to signify.
Perhaps it's to simply distinguish this film from dozens of others called Cargo in iMDB's database. Including brackets in your search does put it at the top of the list.
In
this one, Anthony Peterson (Ron Thompson) is a wealthy, unscrupulous
man who wakes up in a cargo container with nothing but a cell phone.
His mysterious kidnappers call to inform him they also have his
wife. If Ron doesn't transfer $10 million dollars to them within 24
hours, they'll rape & kill her and leave him to die in the
container. With no idea where he is or who abducted him, Ron
scrambles to gather the ransom money, relying on his assistant, Evan,
to sell-off assets. This is easier said than done. Not only because
he's already borrowed on most of his properties, but Evan is a drug
addict whose dangerous lifestyle make him less than reliable
(or trustworthy).
 |
| "Hey...is your refrigerator running?" |
Taking
place entirely inside within the confines of the container, [Cargo]
strives for the same vibe as other single-setting films,
like Locke, Buried or the under-appreciated Devil.
And sometimes it succeeds. The basic premise is sound and
writer-director James Dylan manages to keep it visually
interesting...no small feat considering the limited cinematic
possibilities inherent in a metal cargo container.
On
the other hand, some ridiculous story elements and questionable sound
effects - most of the action occurs over the phone - tend to mute the
intensity. In fact, Evan's adventures eluding the police are so goofy
that we suspect the whole thing is supposed be a black comedy,
exacerbated by a grating, bile-spewing performance by Thompson. And
since Ron is a self-serving, cold-blooded bastard right from
the get-go, we never care whether he lives or dies.
Still,
[Cargo] is mostly watchable, with an effectively ambiguous
conclusion. Ultimately, we don't buy any of it - especially Ron's
sudden epiphany late in the story - but for a low budget suspense
film with one claustrophobic setting and a despicable lout as its
sole character, it's a credit to all involved that we feel compelled
to see it through.
And
who knows? Maybe one of you can tell me what the brackets in the title are
supposed to mean.
EXTRA
KIBBLES
AUDIO
COMMENTARY
TRAILER
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
1 comment:
Howdy,
J.C. Macek III here, producer of [Cargo] and author of the [Cargo] novelization.
I named the film and suggested the brackets to director/ writer/ producer James Dylan.
The brackets are meant to signify a few things First, they represent the "enclosed" nature of the environment (Anthony Peterson's container prison), secondly, this causes the title to look like a "stencil" with overspray, which you often see on the sides of containers. Finally, you hit the nail on the head, as this was intended to diversify the title from other films of its name (although when we started filming there weren't quite so many). I had hoped that including brackets would make it easier to Google.
Quick side note... it is Tom who evades the police over the phone. Evan is the drunken son who insults his father over the phone. But... can you blame him?
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