Cannonball! (1976)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel (writer)
Don Simpson (writer)

Release Date:

6 July 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

The annual Trans-American outlaw road race - A cross country demolition derby without rules!

Plot:

Ex-con-turned-race car driver Coy "Cannonball" Buckman signs up for the annual Trans-American Grand Prix...

Plot Keywords:

Mafia | New York City | Road | Hitman | Carsploitation

Cast

David Carradine	...	Coy 'Cannonball' Buckman
Bill McKinney	...	Cade Redman
Veronica Hamel	...	Linda Maxwell
Gerrit Graham	...	Perman Waters
Robert Carradine	...	Jim Crandell
Belinda Balaski	...	Maryann
Judy Canova	...	Sharma Capri
Archie Hahn	...	Zippo Friedman
Carl Gottlieb	...	Terry McMillan
Mary Woronov	...	Sandy Harris, Girl in the Van #1
Diane Lee Hart	...	Wendy, Girl in the Van #2
Glynn Rubin	...	Ginny, Girl in the Van #3
James Keach	...	Wolf Messer
Dick Miller	...	Bennie Buckman
Stanley Bennett Clay	...	Beutell (as Stanley Clay)

Also Known As:

Carquake (UK)

Runtime:

Hong Kong:93 min | USA:93 min | Portugal:90 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 | West Germany:12 (TV version) | West Germany:18 (cinema release) | USA:R (original rating) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | UK:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Harbor Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cross Country

Trivia:

David Carradine plays a car racer named Cannonball Coy Buckman, who nearly dies in various crashes. In the race car film The Big Wheel (1949) there is a character we never see but mentioned often - a racer who died in a crash named Cannonball Coy.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Mrs. Schulenberg and her two daughters take a bottle of champagne to Mr. Schulenberg before the race, he is not wearing any glasses. However, when she speaks to him he suddenly is wearing a pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses disappear again at the end of the scene.

Quotes:

[Sharma walks out of the house and sees Perman sitting on the ground strumming his guitar]
Sharma Capri: You're gonna get your suit messed up sitting on the curb like that.
Perman Waters: Well, it don't make no difference. I ain't doin' no TV spot tonight.
Sharma Capri: When this is all over, boy. You're gonna be turning down offers right and left. You gonna be a star.
Perman Waters: [unenthusiastically] Uh-huh, Hillbilly Hem like the rest of them dead-old boys.
Sharma Capri: I busted my hump setting this ride up with Cade Redman and the least you can do is act a little grateful.
[a black Dodge charger screeches next to their house]
Perman Waters: Holy Mother Of Pearl. You mean we're goin' all the way to New york in this cude-ass Cadillac?
[Sharma gets in first]
Perman Waters: Hi, Mr. Redman.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Unleashing the Beast: Making 'The Howling' (2003) (V)

not a fan

One of Paul Bartel's more dreadful efforts -- definitely nowhere close to being in the same league with either "Eating Raoul" or "Death Race 2000." Granted it's typical of '70s "realistic"-appearing movies/TV shows, but the acting is by & large mediocre & the violence gratuitous. In addition, there is a lot of filler that is frankly inane & complements the plot line about as well as Ripple does Chateaubriand. About the best one can say for it is that David Carradine's & Veronica Hamel's performances are fairly good, & the explosion/crash FX are first-rate. Any of the iterations of "Cannonball Run" is superior to this, & that's based just on film merits & not starring casts. This travesty makes even "BJ & the Bear" look good. :(