10/14/2001
'SOMETIMES what you can't see can kill you' warns the US ads for Pitch Black. And how true that is. Pitch Black's pulse-pounding pace, plot twists, and top special effects raise it above other films of its genre.
The creative use of both computer-generated and handcrafted artwork makes this fright flick as slick as slick can get.
Co-writer and director David Twohy proceeds to create a highly convincing alien desert landscape, taking into considerations even atmospheric conditions (the cast literally had a hard time breathing) with strange clusters of muddy spires, a horizon of unusual looking trees (which turn out to be something else entirely) and the savvy use of yellow filters that give the moon's atmosphere an eerie, blistering appearance, making the planet the crew crash on unbelievably real.
More importantly, when it comes to character development, characters that don't get eaten quickly are well-developed, interesting and volatile, especially Riddick (played by Vin Diesel, The Fast And The Furious) whose animal/survivalist instincts and ability to see in the dark makes him the group's best asset and second biggest fear after the carnivorous aliens.
The breakthrough star of Pitch Black is undoubtedly Vin Diesel. Born on July 18, 1967 in New York, Vin Diesel started his acting career at the age of seven. His acting career started with the movie Multi-Facial in 1997, which he directed, wrote, produced, financed and starred in. Multi-Facial was later selected for screening at the 1995 Cannes Festival.
He followed up Multi-Facial with his first feature-length film, Strays, an urban drama in which he cast himself as a gang boss whose love for a woman inspires him to try to change his ways. Written, directed, and produced by Diesel, the film was selected for competition at the 1997 Sundance Festival, which led to a deal with MTV to turn it into a series.
In 1999, Diesel was the voice of the title character of the animated The Iron Giant, another critically praised feature. With looks too good to be kept behind the scenes, he then starred with fellow young actors Giovanni Ribisi, Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy, and Nicky Katt in Boiler Room, an off- Wall Street drama that cast him as one of the members of a shady brokerage firm.
Flexing his well-toned muscles in Pitch Black, Diesel's charismatic performance as escaped criminal Riddick steals the film's every scene.
"This character, Riddick, is seemingly this huge, menacing, nefarious, formidable character that is heartless and lacks empathy. We find through this experience that he changes. I like that. I like characters that shine in that moment of darkness, that rise to the occasion. I like the underdog that has been counted out and comes in at the last moment to save the day."
However, 2001 is Diesel's year. Having acted movies of varying genres, Diesel jumps genres yet again as a devious, determined hot-rodder in The Fast And The Furious, an action-packed street racing picture. The low- profile movie left skid marks at the box office as it grossed over million dollars in its first weekend alone in the US. Vin Diesel has finally arrived in the world of movie making as a bankable leading man. Catch him in his futuristic and realistically cool Pitch Black, showing on Cinemax at the following timeslots (see box).
PITCH BLACK
October 19 11:30pm October 23 8:15pm October 28 3:15pm October 31 11:30pm
All Material Subject to Copyright
Copyright 2001: New Straits Times
(Malaysia). All Rights Reserved.