Paint It Black

Produced by the ill-fated Vestron Pictures, PAINT IT BLACK quickly ended up on videocassette; in fact, it was one of the last Vestron Video titles out before the pioneering home entertainment company folded. Among the factors in Vestron's demise were losses in its neophyte motion picture division, but a wide theatrical release for PAINT IT BLACK would probably not have turned the tide. It's a retrograde attempt to revive the Alfred Hitchcock thrillers of yore (especially STRANGERS ON A TRAIN), with an unfortunate emphasis on artifice and contrivance. One wonders if misty black-and-white cinematography would have served this material better. Johnathan Dunbar (Rick R...