Cross-country races were a highly popular genre in the 1970s; this is one of the poorer entries, despite coming from the director of Death Race 2000. The main problem is the central story: its about a bunch of drivers racing across the US to New York. And that’s all.
Too many story holes: if its illegal surely they’d be able to shut it down easily by using roadblocks and the phone? How can a van compete with a race car? The film would have been better off being set in the future or something. It lacks some sort of consistent subplot to keep things involving outside of the car, such as the assassination subplot in Death Race 2000 – the film is mostly people sitting in cars driving, which gets a bit boring after time. And there’s not enough sex.
There are a bunch of good things about the film: some solid stunts, charismatic David Carradine in the lead as the tortured hero, the stunning Veronica Hamel as the love interest, portly Carl Gottleib as a racer who cheats by flying the way, Robert Carradine as a surfer, Mary Woronov and her two female sex pot co-drivers, Pau Bartel (director and co-writer) as a signing crook.
But so much of it is undeveloped: the relationship of Carradine and his idiot mate (who is hardly worth suffering for), the relationship of Carradine and his traitorous brother Dick Miller (Carradine’s final action to not stamp his ticket makes no sense – it seems like try-hard 70s hipness), Carradine and his on-road rival. The film is a bit of a mess, and a disappointment considering the talent involved.
There are delights for film buffs: small roles played by Roger Corman, Jonathan Kaplan and Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante (before he became a director, when he was a New World editor) as a nerdy car fan, a cameo from Sly Stallone, biographers Joe McBride and Todd McCarthy as reporters at the end, small role from legendary producer-to-be Don Simpson (who also co wrote the film). Director-to-be Chuck Russell worked on second unit.
There are a bunch of good things about the film: some solid stunts, charismatic David Carradine in the lead as the tortured hero, the stunning Veronica Hamel as the love interest, portly Carl Gottleib as a racer who cheats by flying the way, Robert Carradine as a surfer, Mary Woronov and her two female sex pot co-drivers, Pau Bartel (director and co-writer) as a signing crook.
But so much of it is undeveloped: the relationship of Carradine and his idiot mate (who is hardly worth suffering for), the relationship of Carradine and his traitorous brother Dick Miller (Carradine’s final action to not stamp his ticket makes no sense – it seems like try-hard 70s hipness), Carradine and his on-road rival. The film is a bit of a mess, and a disappointment considering the talent involved.
There are delights for film buffs: small roles played by Roger Corman, Jonathan Kaplan and Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante (before he became a director, when he was a New World editor) as a nerdy car fan, a cameo from Sly Stallone, biographers Joe McBride and Todd McCarthy as reporters at the end, small role from legendary producer-to-be Don Simpson (who also co wrote the film). Director-to-be Chuck Russell worked on second unit.
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