Review of Vanishing Point (1971) by Bill B — 25 Nov 2010

This movie probably would have sunk into complete cult obscurity it it wasn't for Quentin Tarantino's characters frequently mentioning it in the movie "Death Proof".

The movie is about a character named Kowalski. He's a man on the edge, who has a penchant for speed that landed him a job transporting cars from city to city. Kowalski makes a bet with his friend that he can deliver a 1970 Dodge Challanger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. With a hanful of uppers and a shit load of coppers on his tail, Kowalski barrels along unyielding to authority.

This Kowalski, on his existential journey, crashes through American culture as he encounters highjacking queers, religious snake-charming weirdos and a totally naked chick on a motorcycle. Through flashbacks we see what partly brought Kowalski to this point; Vietnam vet, a drowned girlfriend, career failures(police officer, motorcycle speedway rider and stock car race driver). Now I say, "partly" brought to this point(racing to San Francisco with cops chasing him all the way) because I think that Kowalski has always been a misfit who would choose death over giving into "The Man". This guy has probably rejected everyone and everything and is not afraid to give a big middle finger to the establishment. I think Kowalski is doing it all to maybe recapture the feeling when the world had some meaning, even though he knows that all of the color the world once had has washed away in a flood of tears.

Cleavon Little plays a blind D.J. who is inspired by Kowalski and begins to broadcast the actions of this rebel on a mission. The D.J. describes Kowalski as "the last American hero" on the radio program.

The car chases are pretty cool, but the social subtext and existential themes are what got me revved up. Barry Newman is great as Kowalski. Many may feel that his character is bland and colorless, but I found his performance focused and intense. In order to appreciate this movie you need to have a little bit of Kowalski in you. Excellent movie that some may feel is dated, but I see it even more relevant for today's audiences. We need a Kowalski to save us from our humdrum existence in 2010.