Dick May’s ‘HUBCAP’ (2023) – Movie Review

I discovered Hubcap through an ad I found while browsing Facebook. The poster and tagline “Fleeing Trauma. Chasing Justice” immediately stood out to me. Recently I found Hubcap had become available on Amazon Prime and I gave it a shot. I’m happy I did.

Synopsis

Rainy Lawson has her hands full trying to fill her daddy’s shoes as Sheriff in the conservative mountain county of Gibson, Georgia. Her life gets more complicated when reports surface of a supernatural killer, rumored to be a hubcap. Can Rainy keep at bay her political opponents, unravel the mystery of the hubcap killings, honor the memory of her father, navigate advances of her many suitors, all while coping with the PTSD from her military service?

Hubcap was written and directed by Dick Mays. The film stars Ash Hamilton, Rudy Eisenzopf, Holly A. Morris, Adam Boyer, Christian Brunetti, Chris Burns, Quinn Bozza, Roxzane T. Mims, Carter Burch, Charity Hitchcock, and Christina Leidel.

I really enjoyed Hubcap. I think what makes it so unique is that it’s a story where if you remove the homicidal Hubcap, this is 100% a film that could actually happen. It’s very much a dramedy with crime elements, with much of its humor coming naturally from the characters, who I genuinely liked.

Rainey Lawson is a great character. She’s a very strong woman who has experienced a lot in her life, including the loss of her father. She’s a woman who really has no life to speak of outside of her job as Sheriff in a small Red town. After a hit and run a possessed Hubcap shows up and it turns her life upside-down, while also changing her life for the better. Ash Hamilton is excellent as Rainey. She’s imbues the character with charm, strength, and likability. She’s definitely the type of person you would want backing you up.

In addition to Rainey, Deputy Poole was another character I really enjoyed. He’s a welcome source of comic relief, a decent man who Rainey can trust and one of the few people who genuinely believes in the Hubcap. Rudy Eisenzopf delivers a wonderful performance and makes the character very lovable.

I loved the story here and how it has a lot of depth to it. We get lots of turns and revelations. We get a decent amount of time dealing with Rainey’s PTSD and survivor’s guilt. We come to understand the politics of the small town and the length some people will go to for power. I really loved the homicidal Hubcap and how he was genuinely only killing people who deserved it and to protect people, not killing for enjoyment or at random. I really enjoyed how the film wrapped everything up and gave us a really solid and enjoyable ending. I was genuinely smiling at the ending.

Final Thoughts

Hubcap is an underrated gem combining comedy, drama, crime and a killer Hubcap. I highly recommend checking it out on Amazon Prime.