Vanishing Point, a review by Jon
VANISHING POINT (1971)
5 out of 5
Kowalski is only delivering a car, driving it from Denver to California. But he's going to do it loaded on speed in less than 15 hours!This could be it. The best car movie ever made. First it was released in 1971, already responsible for Duel and Two-Lane Blacktop, so obviously this type of movie was in vogue. It has the best car of this marathon in the white Dodge Challenger, also used in Death Proof as a direct homage to Vanishing Point. But most of all the screenplay is superb, able to touch on the nostalgic freedom of Easy Rider and Two-Lane, but still set the standard for car chase action.
The driver is Kowalski, and he is determined to deliver the car to California in less than 15 hours, driving straight through, fuelled on speed. This quickly comes to the attention of several police forces who chase him across states. Along the way he is aided by blind DJ Super Soul, who promotes him as the last great American hero. Though he never has any idea of his celebrity, Kowalski meets several colourful characters along the way.
Played by Barry Newman, Kowalski may sound reckless, but through various tussles with police and fellow speed freaks, we see he is honourable and considerate. How many drivers in these sort of films do you see stopping to check someone they just ran off the road is ok? Or refusing to take the offered benefits of a naked girl on a motorbike, who is almost like a siren. Yes, I did say Naked Girl on motorbike!
So why the hell is he doing this? He must realise he is doomed. Therein lies the interpretation for the viewer, while attracted to the freedom of the open road. Long car chases always have lulls, but this cleverly folds in concise flashbacks to bridge the stunts, where we learn of Kowalski's past and as we piece it together, his current self-destruction becomes more clear.
The film effortlessly moves from set-piece to comedy and even to a bit of social commentary. In one hilarious scene, two gay robbers are dealt with, while in another, we see brutal racism as the police deal with Super Soul and stop his rallying support temporarily. There's also room for an existential pit-stop in the desert. In between, the scale of the car chase set-pieces are astonishing and superbly choreographed. Despite all these changes in tone, the pace of the film never lets up or feels forced, right up to it's incredible ending. The supporting characters are never forgotten and are all great fun. Super Soul makes for a great running commentary aiding the mood.
The influence this film has had can be felt ever since. Smokey and the Bandit for one is almost a full-on comedy remake (a time-limited smuggling run attracts dozens of pursuing police while the driver becomes a folk hero) while the car scenes have been rarely matched considering they are the film, rather than just part of it.
Strangely, the film was cut in the States, but uncut in the UK. However, the UK Region 2 DVD is the cut version, while the Region 1 has both. Go figure. Go get the region 1...
The Car's the star: Dodge Challenger 
Trailer(From Car Movie Marathon on August 21st, 2008)
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May 14, 2024, 02:11:03 PM
