Review of Vanishing Point (1971) by Ron H — 24 Jul 2009

I kept thinking throughout this movie "You know, they don't make movies like this anymore" because they don't. I also said this during the scene with the credited "nude rider" hippie.

There's very little plot, just flashes of a sad past that made Kowalski look the way he does in that car. The rest of the film is just an extended car chase and a really good one, too. This isn't a film about maximum carnage, but about really good stunt driving.

The point isn't that he outran six cop cars, but that he did so with virtually no scratches. Don't expect a Tarentino-esque dialogue heavy thrill ride, but a stark, contemplative thrill ride. You should definitely check this out if you enjoyed Death Proof, though, but just realize that this shares more in common with film like Easy Rider, than with Grindhouse.

And Cleavon Little plays a disc jockey with a soundtrack you've never heard before, creating it's own self contained culture, like The Warriors, Grosse Pointe Blank, Night of the Comet, and The Legend of Billie Jean.

I love when movies do that.