The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt
  • Home
  • News
  • Features
  • Movies
  • Books
  • TV
  • Gaming
  • Interviews
  • Competitions
DVD, Movies 0

Black Rainbow Review

By Dave Griffiths @goodbaduglyshow · On July 24, 2020

The Gist

When a medium witnesses a murder in a vision she becomes a target for the killer.

The Review

Black Rainbow is perhaps one of the most under-rated films in cinematic history. I’m not sure how it took me nearly forty years to discover this film – but somehow it did and for that I feel kind of guilty. While Get Carter and Flash Gordon are two of the most talked about films from director Mike Hodges but one viewing of his thriller Black Rainbow and you may be re-considering what is his best film.

The film centres around a young medium named Martha Travis (Rosanna Arquette – Pulp Fiction) who during a ‘show’ one night sees the future murder of a man whose wife is in the audience. When the murder does happen as Martha describes it a young investigative reporter, Gary Wallace (Tom Hulce – Amadeus) begins to investigate and while getting close to Martha learns that she knows the identity of the killer.

As he investigates the case he learns that Martha is under the control of her alcoholic and loud father, Walter (Jason Robards – All The President’s Men). The tension mounts as Gary’s editor doesn’t believe the Martha story, Martha’s visions get more intense and there is a killer on the loose that knows she needs to be silenced.

Where Black Rainbow works as a film is the way that it mixes genres so well. Mike Hodges’ screenplay allows the film to be part thriller and part super-natural horror, while the dialogue driven scenes bring a more dramatic style to the fore. Many films fail when they try to mix so many different genres together but here Hodges’ does it so well that as the film changes its tone it is absolutely seamless. Funnily enough it is so seamless that at times you forget that the whole medium side to the film takes it into the supernatural realm.

It is the script that makes Black Rainbow so special though. For young screenwriters this is the perfect screenplay to show how suspense and tension can life a film. As you watch the film you realise that each plot point raises the stakes for Martha and Gary all throughout the film but Hodges never signposts these points and they often come as a complete shock to the audience… the way a thriller should. Likewise Hodges never allows the supernatural element to become cringe-worthy or laughable, and instead they are some of the most intense parts of the movie.

That screenplay also allows for a brilliant acting performance from Rosanna Arquette. Arquette is brilliant in Black Rainbow and it is strange that her performance never garnished her more award wins than it did. Her performance shines as she drifts from a virginal saint in front of her father to a lingerie-clad seductress around Gary. Yes, just like the film itself Arquette’s performance is so under-rated it is not funny.

The Verdict

If you have never seen Black Rainbow then go out and see it right now. This is one of those brilliant under-rated films that every film lover should have seen but so few have. With an amazing screenplay and a stunning performance by Rosanna Arquette this should be on everybody’s watch list.

Share this:

  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Black Rainbow Review
Dave Griffiths
July 24, 2020
5/10
5 Overall Score

Black RainbowMike HodgesRosanna ArquetteTom Hulce
Share Tweet

Dave Griffiths

Dave Griffiths has worked as a journalist for over twenty years now -covering topics including film, television, music, travel and sport (with a main focus on AFL Football). That time has seen him host the popular X-Wired television program for seven seasons as well as write for various magazines such as Buzz Magazine, Heavy Mag, Stage Whispers, The Banner and Eternity.. He has even branched out into writing online for Subculture Entertainment, Media Search and The Book The Film The T-Shirt. He also worked as the online editor for Entertainment 360 for three years. Dave's radio work has seen him work on various radio stations including 3RPP, Triple R and Light FM. He is currently the resident film reviewer on Sydney's 2UE radio station and can be heard reviewing what is new at cinemas and on DVD each week on Wednesdays at 3pm with Ed Phillips. He is also the co-host of Melbourne's 94.1FM's breakfast show 'The Motley Crew' and he can sometimes be heard on J-Air's 'First On Film'. David is also the co-host of two popular podcasts - ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Film Show,' and 'The Popcorn Conspiracy' As far as Film Reviewing goes David is an elected committee member of AFCA (Australian Film Critics Association and a member of IPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)/FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique). He has also served as a jury member for a number of international film festivals and is considered an expert on cult cinema, horror movies and Australian films.

You Might Also Like

  • Movies

    CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Review

  • Movies

    UNTIL DAWN Review

  • Movies

    HINDI VINDI Review

No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe & Follow

Follow @thebookthefilm
Follow on Instagram
  • Popular
  • Comments
  • Tags
  • The Rise of Lockdown Streaming

    May 3, 2020
  • Salvo (2014)

    September 27, 2014
  • Penny Dreadful S1 EP 3 ‘Resurrection’ & EP 4 ‘Demimonde’ Review

    June 22, 2014
  • Pet Movie

    Spoiler Alert – Top 5 Horror Movie Twists

    March 17, 2017
  • warner bros. for her dvd collection

    Christmas Gift Guide: For Her – Heart Warming DVDs

    December 14, 2016
  • Win a copy of The Apartment on Limited Edition Blu-ray Courtesy of Arrow Academy

    December 23, 2017
David Griffiths marvel Ben Affleck J.K. Simmons Amy Adams Jai Courtney Lee Griffiths Hugh Jackman Chris pratt Scarlett Johansson Jason Clarke Daniel Craig Emilia Clarke Henry Cavill benedict cumberbatch Sky Atlantic Liam Neeson Ralph Fiennes
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

ABOUT

Over opinionated and online. The Book, The Film, The T-Shirt was created for lovers of entertainment everywhere. We hope you enjoy it. Don't feed the writers after midnight.

Latest News

  • 3.5

    CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD Review

    May 11, 2025
  • 2.5

    UNTIL DAWN Review

    May 10, 2025
  • 3

    HINDI VINDI Review

    May 10, 2025

SEARCH THE SITE

HIBS100 Index of Home and Interior Blogs
HIBS100

© 2016 Last Exit to Hollywood Media Limited. All rightsreserved. “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.”