UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Executscan Expected more

Manthast Absolutely amazing

Nicole I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Uriah43 James Taylor (known simply as "the Driver") and Dennis Wilson (as "the Mechanic") are two young men who drive around the country and--after sizing up the competition in various towns--make money by racing their '55 Chevy against the opposition. One day they pick up a young hitchhiker known simply as "the Girl" (Laurie Bird) and proceed on their way to the next town. As it so happens, while on the road the next day they repeatedly come across another driver (played by Warren Oates) in a G.T.O. who becomes angry because he feels that he is being challenged by them. So when both cars stop at a gas station somewhere in New Mexico they get into an argument and decide to bet their cars on the way to Washington D.C. Naturally, the G.T.O. is at a disadvantage because he is all by himself while the Chevy can change drivers whenever one of them gets tired. However, it's at this time that we learn more about each of the characters and personal conflicts soon emerge. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that what the film lacks in dialogue it makes up for in its depiction of the life along Route 66 during the early '70s. Because of that it enjoys a cult status among many viewers of this particular genre. That said, while it certainly isn't the best "hot rod film" ever made, it has its good points and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Scott LeBrun "Two-Lane Blacktop" is, without a doubt, *the* masterpiece of the unsung director Monte Hellmans' career. At first glance, it might seem to be typical drive-in fare, aimed at the younger audience, with two very cool cars at the forefront. But Hellman, and the screenwriters (Rudy Wurlitzer and Will Corry) aim to create something different. This film is far removed from something such as "The Cannonball Run" and its ilk. It's a memorable depiction of mans' folly of narrowing his life to a single focus. Will the characters here end up open to more of life's possibilities, or remain single-minded ciphers?Hellman works wonders with the script by Wurlitzer and Corry, also creating some of the traditional appeal of a cross country road movie. It's episodic at times, with one of our characters interacting with a wide succession of hitchhikers (one of them played by Harry Dean Stanton, in a poignant cameo). Hellman uses the Panavision aspect ratio to great effect, letting our eyes take in as much as possible at any given moment.Singer / songwriter James Taylor and Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys deliver their sole acting performances to date, playing an unnamed Driver and Mechanic, tooling about the U.S.A. in a primer grey '55 Chevy. They repeatedly encounter a man (Warren Oates), doing his own wandering in a yellow Pontiac G.T.O., ultimately challenging him to a cross country road race. The prize will be the pink slip for the losers' automobile.Taylor and Wilson perform adequately for the characters that they play, but they are simply blown off the screen by professional actor Oates, who was rarely better than he is here. G.T.O. is substantially more interesting, and appealing, and is more inclined to question things. Laurie Bird rounds out the main acting quartet, doing a nice job as the young girl tagging along with our Driver and Mechanic.Instead of building to a "big finish", "Two-Lane Blacktop" winds up with a much more low key resolution. It forces its viewers to ponder the reality of obsessions, and what some people choose to do about them.This may be one of the finest cult films of all time.10 out of 10.

krocheav I remember when this film came out, I liked the title. The film itself was looked upon in the industry as maybe being up for a week or so in the Drive in circuit. How right they were. As an example of how far the quality of movie making had, and was slipping, this is a fair guide.Now, it's getting a few raves from a generation who were brought up on these 'less is more' movies. The 70's have been described by some as one of the poorest eras in film making, they could be right. This films credentials don't stack up very well either. The Director, Monte Hellman was an early collaborator of el-cheapo film maker Roger Corman. Hellman, who's only earlier claim to fame would most likely be two 1966 quickie Westerns, "The Shooting" and "Ride in the Whirlwind" ~ while these were quite watchable, were by no means great movies. 'Two Lane Blacktop' was clearly intended to cash in on the surprise success of "Easy Rider", it's roadside café scene set up to look like a carbon copy, endless roads traveled by drop-outs going nowhere, and minimal story to get in the way or complicate the low cost film making process. I can understand Universal studio chief of the day, Lew Wasserman not wanting anything to do with it, in fact seems he hated it. My wife and I screened the theatrical version, clocking in at 1hr 40min. By around the 55min mark she could no longer stay in the room. Thank heavens Wasswerman forced Hellman to reduce his original 3Hr 30m cut! I doubt anyone would have had the staying power to remain brain numbed for that long.Many are now reading all manor of deep and meaningful insights into these empty characters and their wasted lives. But hey, they chose to be petrol heads 'n speed freaks, to hide from any commitments that would make them responsible for their lives. Any or all moral fiber has been stripped away from their being, they live for the road and any other riff-raff they pick up on the way to the next drag circuit. This is all they want to know or enjoy. The movie even reduces them down to being known as, the driver, the mechanic, and the girl.The only real actor in the cast, Warren Oates is known only as GTO (his car of course ). As the only trained professional he is given the most lines (knowing this interesting, one of a kind actor, he probably made many of them up as he went), what a sad loss he was at only 56. The critic Leonard Maltin sites his performance as worthy of the years Oscar...Where had he been! didn't he see him as Arch, the partner in "The Hired Hand" '71, or as Mr Giddens in Leslie Stevens's curious "Hero's Island" '62, he was even this good as Ves Painter in Leslie Stevens's short lived "Stoney Bourke" series. The GTO character was good, but not that good.Director of Photography: Jack Deerson whose claim to fame was mainly made up of some dreadful el-cheapo porn films, shoots a lot of interiors from fast cars and some scruffy country shots. He does what he can with the very limited, unsubstantial material. One of my favorite performers Harry Dean Stanton, gets wasted in a throwaway role as a queer hitch hiker. The 'Girl' Laurie Bird, plays an ultra loose hippie, went on in real life to take her own life at the ripe old age of 25! This film, and the film making life-style probably did not help her any either. And what happened to Beach Boys drummer Denis Wilson, who went on to 'drown'. So sad. As for that famous ending, almost lifted out of William Castles cheapie "The Tingler" '59...while it looks cleaver, is mostly just another cop-out. A neat way to end the endless. If you like to look for deep meanings in cheap fiction, born out of an era of film making where so many were looking at ways to cash in on the minimalist 'small is big' - then this is the film for you! Anyone looking for more, be warned, it just may not be there.....

qormi Okay, for a few minutes there, it was cool seeing James Taylor and Dennis Wilson just hanging out...then you realized...wait...this is a movie? Very quickly, these rock icons are revealed to be self-absorbed, self- conscious, conceited punks who think they can throw their jock onto the field and the game's over... I mean, these guys were stoned, the director was stoned,the film editor was stoned, everyone in the theater was stoned... ...c'mon - there's no other explanation. The film was devoid of plot, the girl was no prize - she brought new meaning to the word, "plain"....the cars were no match for modern muscle cars....the ending just characterized the cheapness and lack of effort in a film when a car crash is depicted by discoloring the film in the projector....,.I kid you not. The absolute worst...unbelievably, disgustingly bad.A complete bore fest.