Humbersi
The first must-see film of the year.
BelSports
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Mabel Munoz
Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?
Michael_Elliott
Grand Theft Auto (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Ron Howard made his directorial debut with this Roger Corman chase picture. In the film Howard plays Sam Freeman, a man who runs off with his rich girlfriend (Paula Powers) who just happened to steal her father's Rolls Royce. Soon her fiancé (Paul Linke) from a pre-arranged marriage is on the chase as is his mother, various cops and countless other people who jump in on the bounty placed on the runaways. This certainly isn't APOLLO 13 or A BEAUTIFUL MIND but even with his first film I think it's clear to see that there was some talent sitting in that director's chair. Howard does a pretty good job with this film as there's really not too much you can ask for in a chase picture except that it be fast and fun. GRAND THEFT AUTO is certainly a lot of fun for fans of the genre because it offers up some non-stop chases, plenty of action and some pretty memorable characters as well. The action in the film pretty much starts at the two-minute mark and never lets up as we get all sorts of wild chases and car crashes. It really does seem as if everyone just sat around trying to come up with the various ways you could crash cars either into one another or into various objects. Not only do we get a Rolls Royce but there's also a redneck truck, an ice cream truck, cop cars, a church bus and just about everything else as well. With the action certainly there, the next important thing was coming up with memorable characters and that's here. I thought the supporting group of "chasers" were a lot of fun and especially Marion Ross as the fiancé's mother who won't back down until she gets her baby back. I thought it was pretty funny watching her go against a cop who is constantly trying to arrest her. The obnoxious fiancé is another good part and it's made quite memorable by actor Paul Linke who does a good job making him someone we can laugh at. We even get a nice bit from Clint Howard playing a dimwitted mechanic. Howard and Nancy Morgan do a nice job together even with their characters being the least interesting in the film. I think some of the biggest credit should go to Joe Dante who edited the picture. Howard was obviously working with a very small budget but the editing really kept the film going, made it rather stylish and also made it look like it was a much bigger picture. GRAND THEFT AUTO isn't a masterpiece but it's a fun piece of drive-in entertainment.
lost-in-limbo
A young couple Sam and Paula are planning to be hitched, but when they confront Paula's influential parents about it. They won't have any of it, and beg her to marry the snobby, rich Colin. Instead she and Sam steal her father's Rolls Royce and head to Las Vegas to elope. From this a large road chase eventuates with Colin calling a radio station to announce a $25,000 reward for Paula. While on their tails, Colin's mother Vivian joins in with another $25,000 for his return. Soon Paula's father has got out the big guns to stop them, while plenty of nutty people join in chase for the doe and the local radio station DJ happens to be commentating the action in a hovering helicopter.Just sit back, and soak it all up. Following the success of Ron Howard's starring vehicle "Eat My Dust". Another chance was on offer, and this follow up had Ron Howard kicking off his directorial debut under the watchful eye of producer Roger Corman and what we get is purely light-headed fun with non-stop bustle and chaos ensured. This tight budget drive-in, b-film is a madcap chase comedy all the way, which is ebulliently staged and provides such a rush due to Howard's concisely economical and desirable direction. The animatedly mindless screenplay, which is penned by Ron and his father Rance Howard crackles with plenty of freedom to cluster and stretch out the story with mini sub-plots, clever visual gags, highly witty dialogues and a circus show of colourful characters. The concept is simple, old-school and cartoonish, but Howard's knowledgeable timing and honest tailoring lets the film open up naturally with its crackerjack pacing that never lets the momentum slip and expansively robust and tightly choreographed stunts that lead onto a smash-a-thon of fast and stolen motor vehicles ending in flourish of explosions. Howard captures many well-displayed images. Helping out behind the scenes, is that of Joe Dante's airtight, sped-up editing to Gary Graver' sharply inventive cinematography and giving the film some heart is the casually, cosy music score that can spruce up when needed. Being shot on location in open desert back roads gave it a down 'n' dirty feel of authenticity. Attached to it are joyful performances from the entire cast who like to gesture a lot. Nancy Morgan shines excellently in a sprightly cheeky turn as Paula and Ron Howard amusedly sits on cruise control as Sam. The Corman-regulars that co-star on this one range from the eccentrically self-absorbed performance by a fantastic Don Steele, Clint Howard, Rance Howard and a minor appearance by Paul Bartel. Marion Ross and Paul Linke are a riot as Vivian and Collin Hedgeworth. Playing Paula's snotty parents are the enjoyably comic Elizabeth Rogers and Barry Cahill. Also Jim Ritz, Hoke Howell and Garry Marshall give capable, snappy and crazy support. Oh, they don't make 'em like this anymore. Man, these type of spirited features really put these wannabe shallow Hollywood dosh to shame. Something about these outings just seem to stay fresh. "Grand Theft Auto" is a groovy, no-nonsense splurge into high-octane overload, which is considerably well executed with clarity and precision for what it is. So go ahead and floor it for one pleasurable and fulfilling genre romp.
Anthony Bannon (bannonanthony)
I've always had a soft spot for car chase movies, so naturally this one interested me. I wasn't disappointed. It has the usual elements of a film of it's type, the most prominent being the cast of eccentric characters constantly trying to get the better of each other. SPOILER WARNINGS:In his directorial debut, Ron Howard plays high school kid Sam who is in love with rich girl Paula. Needless to say, Paula's Ma and Pa, rich snobs who care only about their reputations (Her jogging-suit clad dad is running for Governor of California), disapprove. Her dad wants her to marry rich kid Collins Hedgeworth, whom Paula denounces as a 'flake'. Her dad tries to get the better of her by confiscating her car keys, but then she gets the last laugh as she purloins her old man's Rolls-Royce and picks up Sam. The two then set off for Las Vegas to get married.Polo-playing wimp Collins tries to give chase, as does his mother, who is trying to get him back before he hurts himself. Collins calls DJ Don Steele and offers a $25,000 reward for Paula's safe return. His mother then calls up and offers another $25,000 for his return. At this point, the fun begins as a bunch of assorted nutcases join the chase. They include: a pair of horny mechanics, a bunch of bumbling private eyes hired by Paula's dad, a money-hungry preacher, a group of dynamite toting rednecks, a group of Hispanic low-riders and an LA cop looking to bust most of the group for grand theft auto. The pace is frantic, and at times, you forget about certain characters because of the amount of time being focused on certain groups of them. The performances are rather good. Nancy Morgan as Paula seems to be the dominant one in their couple as she does most of the talking. The late Don Steele is great in his role as DJ Curly Q. Brown, which is essentially a reprise of his role of Junior Bruce in DEATH RACE 2000 (also produced by Roger Corman. DEATH RACE director Paul Bartel has a cameo here.). Ron's brother Clint of course appears here as one of the mechanics. He and his partner Pete Isacksen are both great as the sex-mad mechanics.
The car wrecks sometimes happen for no real reason, but they are all brilliantly done. Appropriately, the action reaches it's climax at a demolition derby outside Vegas. This film is brilliant and is a must for car chase fans, like me!
Randy Rodman
This movie will never be remembered as great filmmaking, but it's sure to go down in history as an eerily accurate time capsule of the 1970's. The seventies, a time when, despite the depressingly high crime rate, people left their keys in the ignition without giving it a second thought; when cars were stolen so often we considered them communal property.(By the way, if you're ever the victim of a car theft, stand in the road shaking your fist as the car drives off, then yell 'come back here!' as loudly as possible. This is sure to get your car back.)The seventies were a magical time, when gubernatorial candidates wore jumpsuits without fear of ridicule and kept hired goons on retainer; when towns had only one radio station and we all listened to it; when whiny polo players were considered good catches.And the car chases! Every day and twice on holy days, my Dad would tell me. Many times, while driving to his job as Jack Lord's shoe buffer, he would come across an impromptu car chase headed to Las Vegas or Tahiti or some other fun place and you better believe he joined in! He would be gone for weeks at a time but we always understood. Mom and I were never worried about him; we could follow his progress from the constant radio reports given by the DJ flying overhead. In the seventies, radio stations thought nothing of scrapping their entire playlist and sending up a fleet of helicopters manned by skinny DJs in smoked glasses to spend days covering a car chase while whole police forces sat idly by, except for that one wacky policeman who always seemed to show up carrying some personal vendetta against one of the chasers and was in way over his head but didn't know it because he wasn't too bright but we understood and we loved him anyway.Because it was the seventies.
