Martha Davis (Rosanna Arquette) works with her father, Walter (Jason Robards), as a medium. She travels the country and performs for crowds, and while she typically is able to talk to people after they pass away, she is able to talk to Tom Kuron (Olek Krupa) before his passing. As the hitman who kills Tom is assigned a new target, Martha begins to understand that her life is in danger. Now a curious and determined reporter, Gary Wallace (Tom Hulce), will do all that he can to protect her and break the big story. However, his efforts may not be enough.
Prior to getting deep into Black Rainbow I read online that writer-director Mike Hodges struggled to find a woman to play the lead role, and that it took convincing by the world-renowned Martin Scorsese in order for Arquette to sign on to the film. This doesn’t bode well for my expectations, and immediately my confidence in the film plummeted. Those negative expectations can work one of two ways: they will either make it difficult for me to appreciate the film, or they will make it easier for me to be impressed after assuming the film would fail. I’m happy to say that the latter is true.
I’m, for the most part, impressed with the acting. Hulce is the most entertaining of the bunch, and he’s the most capable of the film’s cast. While he’s certainly not Black Rainbow’s lead, it seems that he is the film’s facilitator. He helps to open the film, and from that moment forward he acts as the go between for Martha and the rest of the characters. He fills this role effectively, and while the others who surround him typically do well to carry themselves appropriately, there are times that Arquette sometimes comes off as too whiny or unrelatable, and there are times when Martha fails to connect with viewers. This is the case with just about everyone at some point in Black Rainbow, and this disappointing quality occasionally draws viewers away from the film.
The thing I love most about this film is the cinematography. Gerry Fisher, the man in charge of the cinematography, captures the appropriate tone and mood at any given moment, as well as the overall essence of Black Rainbow. Mystery exists throughout the course of the film, and while the acting is average (or better), it’s the camerawork that effectively brings these aspects of the film to life. The juxtaposition of characters and emotions become fully understood as a result of Fisher and his crew, and this is where the appreciation for the film comes into play.
I’m torn on the story. It seems that had they better developed the story of Martha’s life being in danger, rather than diving so deep into her medium abilities, Black Rainbow would have been able to find more success. It feels almost as if Writer-Director Hodges was often sidetracked as he developed the film, and that his primary storyline is often pushed to the side as a result. Had that initial storyline, the one surrounded by horror and thrills, been more effectively brought to life, Black Rainbow would have been far more enjoyable, but, sadly, that’s just not the case. I certainly enjoy the ins and outs of Hodges' film, but with so much going on at any given moment, it sometimes becomes somewhat of a jumbled mess and less interesting than one may have anticipated.
Black Rainbow is, on the surface, entertaining, but the twisted storylines sometimes drown out one another, making for an unorganized film. The acting is effective, and leading the way is Hulce–who better than anyone else conveys emotion and helps to create an entertaining film. Mystery exists throughout, but it seems that it could have been better curated had Hodges focused on one thing, rather than often shifting the focus. That shifting focus is what brings down Black Rainbow and doesn’t allow it to find massive success. However, as far as I’m concerned, there is enough mystery and thrill poking its head out to entertain viewers throughout the majority of the film. Even better, for a relatively low-budget film for the 1980’s, Black Rainbow delivers emotion, superb cinematography, and a protagonist (Gary Wallace) who is able to grip viewers and entertain.
Written & Directed by Mike Hodges.
Starring Rosanna Arquette, Jason Robards, Tom Hulce, Mark Joy, Ron Rosenthal, John Bennes, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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