Vin Diesel's Only Acting Role of Merit

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2006)

I'm a guy. And as a guy, I generally dislike Vin Diesel. Seriously, every guy dislikes Vin Diesel. You can't help but dislike him. Seeing him destroy planes, cars, and the like, and then hearing his "i've been trained in the fine art of acting" commentaries makes any guy of any sort completely and totally sick to his stomach. This having been said, Pitch Black is without a doubt the best vehicle he could have acted in.
Pitch Black is your basic "we're trapped somewhere with an ominous overtone". Like all movies of this type, something horrible happens, in this instance, a spaceship carrying them on one leg of separate journeys, a handful of people survive, and they strike out to find out have to get off of the rock they've been stranded on. The catch? One of them is a stone cold killer, who has no regard for human life, and will kill them before he even introduces himself to them or the audience.
I know, that's a cliché of the most intimidating proportions, but you have to understand, the evil man that kills people isn't their biggest concern. Being stranded on a deserted planet with no signs of civilization isn't their chief concern. While digging graves for those who didn't survive, they stumble across what causes the desolation. That's when things get good. You see, Diesel's character, Riddick has a unique ability which, coupled with his incredible abilities to kill, can save everyone, or doom everyone.
Ultimately, this twist, along with a superb acting job from Vin Diesel, Cole Hauser, and Radha Mitchell. I know, Vin Diesel isn't known for his acting, but this role suits his skills. Namely, looking and talking tough.
All in all, throw in a superb unexpected ending, a thorough fleshing out of characters, and you have this little gem which almost launched a trilogy. Fortunately, the second iteration was so grandiose and extreme, it failed miserably in the box office. I say fortunately, because I sincerely don't like Vin Diesel.