|
Vanishing Point (1971) 7.2
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 ... See full summary » Director:Richard C. SarafianWriters:Guillermo Cabrera Infante (screenplay), Malcolm Hart (from a story outline by), 1 more credit » |
| 0Share... |
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: Vanishing Point (1971)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Photos
Learn more
People who liked this also liked...
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Nicolas Winding Refn
Stars:
Ryan Gosling,
Carey Mulligan,
Bryan Cranston
Romper Stomper
(1992)
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Geoffrey Wright
Stars:
Russell Crowe,
Daniel Pollock,
Jacqueline McKenzie
Warrior
(2011)
Drama
|
Sport
Director:
Gavin O'Connor
Stars:
Joel Edgerton,
Tom Hardy,
Nick Nolte
Cell 211
(2009)
Action
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Daniel Monzón
Stars:
Luis Tosar,
Alberto Ammann,
Antonio Resines
The Streetfighter
(1975)
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Walter Hill
Stars:
Charles Bronson,
James Coburn,
Jill Ireland
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Kenji Misumi
Stars:
Tomisaburô Wakayama,
Fumio Watanabe,
Tomoko Mayama
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Adrian Grunberg
Stars:
Mel Gibson,
Kevin Hernandez,
Daniel Giménez Cacho
Battle in Seattle
(2007)
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Stuart Townsend
Stars:
André Benjamin,
Jennifer Carpenter,
Isaach De Bankolé
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Kenji Misumi
Stars:
Tomisaburô Wakayama,
Kayo Matsuo,
Akiji Kobayashi
The Devil's Double
(2011)
Biography
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Lee Tamahori
Stars:
Dominic Cooper,
Ludivine Sagnier,
Raad Rawi
Fist of Legend
(1994)
Action
|
Drama
Director:
Gordon Chan
Stars:
Jet Li,
Shinobu Nakayama,
Siu-hou Chin
Lone Wolf McQuade
(1983)
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Steve Carver
Stars:
Chuck Norris,
David Carradine,
Barbara Carrera
Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Barry Newman | ... | ||
| Cleavon Little | ... | ||
| Dean Jagger | ... | ||
 |
Victoria Medlin | ... |
Vera
|
| Paul Koslo | ... |
Young Cop
|
|
| Robert Donner | ... |
Older Cop
(as Bob Donner)
|
|
|
|
Timothy Scott | ... | |
|
|
Gilda Texter | ... |
Nude Rider
|
|
|
Anthony James | ... |
First Male Hitchhiker
|
| Arthur Malet | ... |
Second Male Hitchhiker
|
|
| Karl Swenson | ... |
Clerk at Delivery Agency
|
|
|
|
Severn Darden | ... |
J. Hovah
|
|
|
Delaney & Bonnie & Friends | ... |
J. Hovah's Singers
|
| Lee Weaver | ... |
Jake
|
|
|
|
Cherie Foster | ... |
First Girl
|
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:
Watch carefully because everything happens fast. The chase. The desert. The shack. The girl. The roadblock. The end. See more »Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for sensuality/nudity and drug content | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
See more »
See full technical specs »
Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 March 1971 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Carrera contra el destino See more »Box Office
Gross:
SEK 880,385 (Sweden)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
Composed by Don Lanier & Joe Bob Barnhill
Played by Jerry Reed
(Courtesy of R.C.A. Victor Records)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
There were actually four 440 Challenger R/Ts and one 383 Challenger R/T, which was an automatic with green interior. This one was used for some exterior shots and it pulled the 1967 Camaro up to speed so the Camaro could hit the bulldozers. As confirmed by property master Dennis J. Parrish, all of the cars were NOT originally white. They were just painted white for the film. During the scene where Kowalski has a flat tire, you can see green paint in the dents. See more »Goofs
The blind character Super Soul wears a regular wrist watch. 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
"Welcome To Nevada"Composed by Don Lanier & Joe Bob Barnhill
Played by Jerry Reed
(Courtesy of R.C.A. Victor Records)
See more »
Kowalski transports cars across the western US in 1970. He gets a gig transporting a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T from Denver to San Francisco and sets out at maximum warp, stopping only for gas and strategy. He commits no crime outside of speeding, and fleeing the cops who are trying to stop him simply because he will not stop. He finds allies along the way, including an old prospector, a DJ named Super Soul, and a hippie who seems to me to be an alternate ending to the life of Peter Fonda's character Wyatt in "Easy Rider". He drives and drives and drives until he meets his destiny in a tiny town on the California-Nevada border at 10:04 AM on some unnamed Sunday.
Why? Is it because of his past; ex-cop, ex-racer, tragically bereaved? Is it because of the truckload of speed he takes at the beginning of the movie (draw your own metaphors between Kowalski's internal use of the noun and external use of the verb)?
Or is it the road, the infinite expanses of the Southwest, the silence, the freedom, the sound of the motor surging, the tires spinning, the wheels gobbling up and sitting out the black asphalt? Who knows? Kowalski seems indifferent as to why he drives, only that he must drive, must evade, must get to where he is going and will not - can not - be stopped.
Do yourself a favor. Rent the original, don't see the '97 made for TV movie (it has some high points, but it's like watching the '99 "Psycho" before seeing the Alfred Hitchcock original). In fact, rent this and "Two Lane Blacktop" from Monte Hellman, and "Mad Max" and/or "The Road Warrior". Watch all of them in as close to one sitting as you can get.
If after watching these movies, you don't understand how they're expressions of the same call to the open road, return them and give up. Not everyone was meant to hear it, just like not everyone has perfect pitch or the ability to wiggle their ears.
This movie drove me (pun intended) to take the handle kowalski and buy a Challenger of my own (flame red, 1973, you see the 1970 R/Ts are very hard to get).
It probably won't do the same for you, but if you've ever been driving down the open road and wondered what would happen if you _didn't_ get off at the next exchange, in fact if you never got off at all, then this film is for you.
And I hope the next ignoramus who compares this masterful film to "The Dukes of Hazzard" loses his brakes and plows into a line of parked Harleys outside some bar with a name like Whiskey Junction or the Dew Drop Inn.