Nerdly » ‘Black Cab’ Review

17th Apr2025

‘Black Cab’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Nick Frost, Synnove Karlsen, Luke Norris, George Bukhari, Tessa Parr, Tilly Woodward | Written by Virginia Gilbert | Directed by Bruce Goodison

Starring Nick Frost, Black Cab is a tense, slow-burning psychological thriller that caught me off guard in the best way. Going in, I had certain expectations based on Frost’s previous filmography which blended comedy AND horror (for the most part), but what I got instead was a brooding, atmospheric deep-dive into paranoia, guilt, and the quiet madness of isolation. It’s one of those films that lingers long after the credits roll, and not necessarily because of any grand spectacle, it’s more about mood, subtlety, and performance.

Black Cab follows Anne and Patrick, an estranged couple who are trying, awkwardly, to reconnect during a night out in London. After a few drinks and some emotional tension, they hail a black cab to head home. That’s when everything starts to unravel. What begins as an uncomfortable ride quickly turns into a nightmare as the driver, played by Nick Frost, takes a wrong turn and never looks back. They’re abducted, taken far from the city, and subjected to a psychological and physical ordeal that strips them down emotionally as much as it endangers them physically.

Nick Frost is absolutely chilling in this role. Gone is the warmth or comic timing we’re used to from him. Here, he’s cold, methodical, and unreadable – terrifying in how ordinary he seems. He doesn’t play the villain as a raving maniac; instead, he exudes quiet menace. It’s a performance that makes your skin crawl precisely because of how calm and deliberate it is. There’s no clear motive, no dramatic villain monologue, just a man who exerts power because he can, and that realism makes it hit harder.

The tension never lets up. The cab’s cramped space, the remote countryside, and the feeling of being totally cut off all create a constant, suffocating sense of dread. What I appreciated most is how the film focuses just as much on the emotional unravelling of Anne and Patrick as it does on the immediate danger. Their fractured relationship becomes another layer of vulnerability, and watching them try to reconnect, even in the face of horror, adds emotional weight to the terror.

Black Cab isn’t interested in elaborate plot twists or over-the-top action. It’s raw, focused, and brutally simple and that’s what makes it so effective. It left me rattled in the best way. If you’re into psychological horror grounded in reality, this one’s absolutely worth the ride. And Nick Frost? He delivers one of the best performances of his career.