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I live in Dallas (well, right outside of
Dallas) and I am very familiar with the
story of Chante Mallard, who made the unfortunate
choice to drive her car late one night after
some hard partying. On her way home, she
literally ran into Gregory Biggs who ended
up flying halfway through her windshield
and lodged in place. And what would you
imagine this nurse’s aide did to help
the bleeding man? Did she call the police?
Did she drive her car directly to the hospital?
No. I’m sure she was thinking, “Oh
good! I can drive in the HOV lane now!”
while she drove straight to her garage,
where she left Biggs to die while she went
in to have sex with her boyfriend. The pair
later enlisted a friend to help dump the
body. Fortunately she was caught and ended
up being sentenced to 50 years in prison.
Her story has been fictionalized in several
TV shows, and was recently turned into a
feature film simply titled “Stuck”.
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Making a film of such a horrible event can go
so many different ways, depending on the particular
director’s viewpoint. After all, it is a
piece of fiction so it can be twisted this way
and that without having to stick to the reality
of the case. “Stuck” opts to go for
a darkly humorous approach and while there is
really nothing humorous about the real event,
it serves this film well. Here we have Mena Suvari
as Brandi whose encounter with a homeless man
(Stephen Rea) mirrors the events in real life,
but quickly moves into a psychological battle
of wills. Both Suvari and Rea turn in strong performances,
but I do have a problem with ‘Brandi’
being made into a sympathetic character while
her drug-dealing boyfriend (Russell Hornsby) is
shown to be the one calling all the shots. (In
reality both were monsters)
To me the most surprising aspect of the film
is that it was directed by Stuart Gordon, who
is best known for over the top horror flicks like
“Re-Animator” and “From Beyond.”
Here his trademark style is rather subdued and
I was thrilled to see that he had this understated
of a movie in him. Only as it moves into the final
moments of the film does some of the black comedy
start to come out… and it comes out strong.
Separating the fact from fiction, “Stuck”
delivers a surprisingly powerful blend of thriller
and horror film, as Brandi fights to keep her
secret from being discovered.
The DVD release for “Stuck” does
not come with any special features, which I did
find a little disappointing. Considering the fact
that this was based on such an infamous case,
I was hoping there would be perhaps a short documentary
or perhaps some interviews with the cast and crew
with their thoughts on the case and there portrayal
of the characters.
Director: Stuart Gordon
Starring: Stephen Rea, Mena Suvari, Russell Hornsby
Extras: None
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Anchor Bay
Release Date: 10/14/2008
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Stuck a B.
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