Movie review - "Vanishing Point" (1971) **1/2

Groovy post-Easy Rider action movie has a strong idea for an existentialistic groovy action movie - Barry Newman speeds across the US to deliver a car in time, helped by various counter culture people as he goes - is hurt by some irritating things: a poor motivation to get him there on time, the fact he keeps himself up by taking lots of speed, a rather abrupt ending, a girl who just happens to have kept a scrapbook about Newman (why would she?). As pointed out by Danny Peary in his excellent analysis of the film, the filmmakers want to have it both ways by having Newman an ex-cop who turned evidence against cops (right on), a Vietnam war hero who's against the war (groovy), a virile sex object who turns down a willing woman (can you dig it), a non-homophobe who fights off against two nasty gays who try to rob him (cool), a driver determined to get their in time but doesn't mind dying (dig), etc. The two gay robber characters (if he's in a hurry why does he pick them up) are an example of flower power Hollywood homophobia (a similar duo appeared in Diamonds Are Forever) - though significantly, the two don't turn Newman in, even though they're pressured to. Some of this is pure counter culture gold, though - the blind black DJ who operates as a commentary on the action, the naked girl on a motorcycle (surely a character strong enough for a sequel), the sequence where rednecks beat up said blind black DJ, some of the stunts.