This is a tale of a hapless group of cabbies and a rundown cab company owned by Harold. Albert comes to town with a dream of starting his own cab company but needs to motivate Harold's employees to want to make something out of themselves. It is only when Albert is kidnapped that the cabbies must decide whether or not they are loyal to Albert and his cause. D.C. Cab is another one of those forgotten classics to come out of the 1980s that is an immeasurable amount of fun. It's got everything you could want from an 80s movie with some hilarious characters, humorous gags, music that makes you groove and a bit of nudity on the side. It follows a similar path to other popular flicks like Police Academy (1984) or Bachelor Party (1984) with the soul intent on giving you some wild, mad, carefree entertainment. I admit when I put it on for the first time, I was completely absorbed and lost myself in the wacky weirdness of this brilliant adventure. I came across this film mainly by accident after finding the vinyl of the soundtrack for it. I was instantly drawn in by the poster that looked like immense absurdity (my kind of movie) but also because it had Mr. T on the cover. I am a big fan of his, especially for his performance in The A-Team (TV Series 1983-1987), and I was so excited to see him in a big-picture production. He was phenomenal as usual even though only a minor part as Samson bringing many traits of his characters over from the show, protecting people, looking out for everyone else and fighting off the opposition. The rest of the cast are equally entertaining with their own characteristics that make each one memorable in this ocean of comical figures. There's Harold the ex-Vietnam veteran and boss, Dell who is unpleasant and rude, Xavier who thinks he's a lady's man, Bob the ambitious keyboardist, Buddy and Buzzy the strongmen, Bongo who loves to sing and dance, Ophelia who has a habit of being robbed on her round, Mr. Rythm who loves to advise others from his broken cab and Tyrone who is completely mad, always flipping out and playing jokes. Finally, there is Albert, who we follow the most as he enters the business. Whilst learning from each person on the crew, he would band them together to improve the company and make a name for themselves. The earlier part of the film (I'd say about the first 1/4) felt like a practically different product from the later half. It was full of sexual themes, jokes and nudity (with plenty of topless women at a club) that just evaporated from the remaining segment of the movie. When I say it felt different, I actually had to check I was watching the same film, but in all honestly, I had no problem with it and began to love it even more. The way I see it, it was representing the kind of business they were dealing with and how unrespectable they were before the big change around. The cabs and office were equally in a disregarded state that is worked around to a bigger brighter future with glamourous cabs and matching uniforms, rivalling their competition and warding off Bravo, the persistent city Hack Inspector. However, things take a turn when the company is caught up in a scandal after Albert is kidnapped along with two important children and framed as the kidnapper. With D.C. Cabs shut down, the group banded together to rescue Albert after what he did for them and their jobs. All kinds of hysterical capers ensue during the search from them crashing into the wrong house to disrupting a drive-in theatre, impersonating the police and getting into a high-speed pursuit. The group's redemption and turnaround were truly delightful to watch and seeing them all band together in the end was awesome. One of the other notable aspects of this flick was the fantastic soundtrack, which includes the work of Giorgio Moroder and Irene Cara, who even has a cameo appearance in a scene with Tyrone, who was an obsessed fan. My favourite song might have to be The Dream, by both artists that is incredibly catchy and matched with the joyous credits at a parade. Overall, I absolutely had a blast and though I know it might not be everybody's cup of tea, but it is certainly mine. It is one I would highly recommend for those looking for some zany amusement.
No comments:
Post a Comment