Stuck DVD Review

By Kam Williams

Horror Flick Based on Real-Life Crime Released on DVD

On Friday, October 26, 2001, 27 year-old Chante Mallard, an African-American employed as nurse's aide, was driving under the influence following a night of partying when she hit Gregory Biggs as he was crossing the street. The homeless white man landed on her hood, critically injured but alive, and Chante decided to drive home without reporting the accident to the police. Instead, she invited her boyfriend, Clete Jackson, over, and they continued to drink alcohol, smoke pot, do Ecstasy and make love, while Mr. Biggs gradually finally bled to death over the weekend.

Monday morning, the couple dumped his body in a park with the help of Clete's cousin before setting the car on fire to destroy the evidence. And the only reason the trio got caught is because Chante was later overheard joking about the incident.

Stuck, a gruesome crime saga only loosely based on the above events, stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty) as Brandi, a white girl sporting corn rows and dating an overbearing black drug dealer named Rashid (Russell Hornsby). Just past the point of departure, she runs into a street person (Stephen Rea) with her car in an accurate recreation of the aforementioned accident. However, the screen version of the story departs considerably from the facts after that, portraying Brandi as a sympathetic figure and only her Svengali-like boyfriend as a monster.

While the two proceed to mate like rabbits in a controlled substance-fueled frenzy, the picture introduces an array of colorful passersby, from a kid chasing an errant soccer ball to curious illegal aliens to a dog walker to nosy neighbors, who come close to discovering the semi-comatose hobo moaning in Brandi's garage. Surprisingly taut and absorbing, even if you're already familiar with the facts of the famous case, Stuck turns out to be a grisly horror flick not to be watched on an empty stomach.

Excellent (4 stars)
Rated R for nudity, profanity, explicit sexuality, drug use, graphic violence and disturbing images.
In English and Spanish with subtitles.
Running time: 85 minutes
Distributor: Image Entertainment
Disc DVD Features: Audio commentary, theatrical trailer and three featurettes.

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