During the 1970s, car delivery driver Kowalski delivers hot rods in record time but always runs into trouble with the highway cops.
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Title: Vanishing Point (1971)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Barry Newman | ... | ||
| Cleavon Little | ... | ||
| Dean Jagger | ... | ||
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Victoria Medlin | ... | |
| Paul Koslo | ... |
Deputy Charlie Scott
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| Robert Donner | ... |
Deputy Collins
(as Bob Donner)
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Timothy Scott | ... | |
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Gilda Texter | ... | |
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Anthony James | ... |
First Male Hitchhiker
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| Arthur Malet | ... |
Second Male Hitchhiker
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| Karl Swenson | ... |
Sam - Clerk at Delivery Agency
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Severn Darden | ... |
J. Hovah
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Delaney & Bonnie & Friends | ... |
J. Hovah's Singers
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| Lee Weaver | ... |
Jake
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Cherie Foster | ... |
First Girl
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Kowalski works for a car delivery service. He takes delivery of a 1970 Dodge Challenger to take from Colorado to San Francisco, California. Shortly after pickup, he takes a bet to get the car there in less than 15 hours. After a few run-ins with motorcycle cops and highway patrol they start a chase to bring him into custody. Along the way, Kowalski is guided by Supersoul - a blind DJ with a police radio scanner. Throw in lots of chase scenes, gay hitchhikers, a naked woman riding a motorbike, lots of Mopar and you've got a great cult hit from the early 70's. Written by Matthew
Taglines:
It's the maximum trip... at maximum speed. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for sensuality/nudity and drug content | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 March 1971 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Fluchtpunkt San Francisco See more »Box Office
Budget:
$1,585,000 (estimated)Gross:
SEK 880,385 (Sweden)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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See more »
Composed by Leslie West (as West), Corky Laing (as Laing), Felix Pappalardi (as Pappalardi) & David Rea (as Rea)
Sung by Mountain
(Courtesy of Windfall-Bell Records)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
The city names on the California Highway Patrol tracking board (where Kowalski never made it) were Stockton, Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco. See more »Goofs
As Kowalski approaches California, Super Souls warns him of a "welcoming committee in the Sunshine State". California's official nickname is "The Golden State". The Sunshine State is Florida. See more »Quotes
Super Soul: This radio station was named Kowalski, in honour of the last American hero to whom speed means freedom of the soul. The question is not when's he gonna stop, but who is gonna stop him.See more »
Crazy Credits
The Fox logo is shown without the fanfare making it one of the first times this has happened. See more »Soundtracks
Mississippi QueenComposed by Leslie West (as West), Corky Laing (as Laing), Felix Pappalardi (as Pappalardi) & David Rea (as Rea)
Sung by Mountain
(Courtesy of Windfall-Bell Records)
See more »
Gosh, I had forgotten how powerful this is.
Seeing it again is a real lesson on how certain cinematic language, if presented purely, transcends. And for a US-made movie, it is pretty pure.
If you do not know it, the primary narrative is essentially no narrative: a muscle car speeding across the desert chased by police, initially for speeding and ultimately just to exert power. This fellow is Kowalski, a name imported from a landmark film. He simply drives. It is his life now. We see flashbacks. Find he was a Medal of Honor winner in Vietnam, a star racer and then a cop. There's a backstory about his being a good cop and turning in some rotten apples, so by degrees we come to understand the moral landscape.
There is only one other character, a blind black disk jockey who is listened to by apparently everyone. Guided by his eavesdropping on police radio, and some psychic ability.
This was after "Easy Rider" and instead of bold men moving into a life, we have life chasing an honest man. Same ethic, could even have been the same man. But he knows himself. He knows he is a cinematic creature, someone to be observed and dreamed about. He knows he carries his world with him. Always borrowed.
You can see Malick here, the notion that the character sees us seeing him, that he knows he is fictional and knows we think him not. You can trace it to the female version in "Thelma and Louise," where they have their end only because they know someone will watch. Its not like "Cool Hand Luke," or "Bonnie and Clyde" at all where the man decides. That comes from the Hollywood western.
Its derived from the "Breathless" tradition.
A good third of this film is spent on the "audience," the rural townspeople. These parts are filmed in a documentary style, with — it seems — real people who have come to watch the filming, having heard on the radio from a borrowed soul. They look dumb and bored, clearly with nothing better to do than watch, just like us.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.