ScoobyMint Disappointment for a huge fan!

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Walter Sloane Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

BA_Harrison Kowalski (Barry Newman) is a speed freak in more ways than one, popping uppers so that he drive 24/7, having bet his drug dealer that he can deliver a supercharged car to California in record time; in doing so, he becomes a wanted man by the police.The car chase is a staple of the action movie genre, but Vanishing Point, by director Richard C. Sarafian, IS a car chase - the whole damn thing! As such, the plot is virtually non-existant, the film largely reliant on the vehicular action which sadly isn't jaw-dropping enough to sustain interest for almost 100 minutes.Being a product of the hippie generation, the whole thing is given a pseudomythological, existentialist vibe, in which driver Kowalski is elevated to legendary anti-hero status by DJ Super Soul (Cleavon Little), and there are plenty of off-beat characters along the way, all of which has secured the film a cult following, but I found the whole thing highly over-rated and ultimately pretty boring.On a more positive note, the cinematography is great, while the mythical road warrior angle and much of the shots seem to have influenced George Miller's Mad Max movies (leading to Fury Road, which for me, is the ultimate car-chase movie).

rodrig58 I do not agree with suicide, however tough and ugly, however depressing and struck by your fate, life is worth living! That said as a principle, I do not quite understand the end of the movie, why Kowalski chooses to commit suicide, after all the attempts he is passing through and out of which he went so well. He was not depressed, he had a strong moral, very tough guy, he had no reason to choose that stupid death, entering with his high-speed car into the dam on the road. Barry Newman, Cleavon Little, Dean Jagger and Paul Koslo are all OK in their roles. A very nice and original appearance by Gilda Texter in the role of Nude Rider. Cool music in the soundtrack, many songs, Mountain with "Mississippi Queen", Kim Carnes, etc. A film that enjoyed my teens and whom I had been happy to review, except for the final, which I had forgotten, which is unjustified and disappointing. Richard C. Sarafian has many exciting movies under his belt.

Wuchak Released in 1971, "Vanishing Point" stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a pill-popping former racer and police officer, who bets that he can deliver a supercharged car from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. The police in four states try to apprehend him as a DJ (Cleavon Little) supports him on the airwaves. Dean Jagger plays a geezer Kowalski runs into in the desert.This is a cult flick about the adventures of a rebel without a cause. While it has similarities to 1969's "Easy Rider," it's not as compelling and the subtext isn't as good (see my review of "Easy Rider").The story is a big middle finger to what was called "the establishment" at a time when the Vietnam War was making a wreck of America's social cohesion. Kowalski was part of that establishment when he was a cop, but became disillusioned after he exposed corruption and was punished for it, but heralded by the counterculture. Kowalski had seen the underbelly of the "pig" and didn't want to be part of it. At the beginning he drives off the road and you see him looking at some derelict vehicles. He increasingly realizes HE is a derelict on the side of the road with nowhere to go. What better next stop than oblivion? The climax is his *beep* off moment to go out on HIS terms. Three years later "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" sorta ripped it off. While that movie lacks the interesting (and ambiguous) subtext of "Vanishing Point," it's a more compelling watch. Despite the many car chases, "Vanishing Point" is surreal and even languid, embellished by a listless score (e.g the opening) and acid rock tracks throughout; while I don't like the former, most of the latter tracks are good and fit the ambiance of the movie.Then there's the naked blond on the motorcycle sequence. Someone incredulously asked: "How could he possibly turn down a sexy naked blonde? What's his problem?!" I guess sexiness is in the eye of the beholder because I didn't find her all that sexy. Sure, she has a pretty face, but her body is nearly as un-curvy as a 12 year-old girl. But some guys prefer thinner women and that's cool; to each his own. In addition, Kowalski was still grieving over his true love. Moreover, the naked blond didn't play the game of seduction, which takes time and imagination. Instead she prematurely throws her entire hand on the table and it simply doesn't turn Kowalski on. Lastly, despite it being the "free love" era (1970), Kowalski was much older (and arguably nobler) than the average hippie; as such, he didn't feel it proper to take advantage of the mate of the guy who was selflessly helping him (at least not without his clear permission).The movie runs 99 minutes and was shot in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.GRADE: B- COMMENTARY ON THE MEANING ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further unless you've seen the movie) In an interview Barry Newman very seriously explained Kowalski's actions at the end: "He thought he could make it through; and that was the reason for the smile just prior to the impact." I don't question this since the actor himself would have more insights about the movie than the viewer, but even his answer is ambiguous. It could mean (and probably does) that Kowalski thought he could make it through to the other side, i.e. leave the physical plane for the spiritual one and the (possible) freedom thereof. After all, he sees "the light" between the blades of the bulldozers while approaching. Keep in mind that Kowalski was hopped up on a lot of drugs. As such, he doesn't commit suicide in the sense he wants to die, but rather kills himself in the accident because he BELIEVES he'll make it through; physically or spiritually, it doesn't matter. He believed.

grantss Very good, and surprisingly so. I only watched this because it gets many reverential references in Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof". Expected it to be nothing more than a revhead movie, but it is far better than that.More like Easy Rider on four wheels. A movie about freedom and individuality. Good script, but it is the direction and the setting that makes this movie great. Richard Sarafian sketches Kowalski's character through flashbacks and delivered information, showing you why he is doing what he is doing. The ending is perfect.Barry Newman hardly had much dialogue, but in playing Kowalski he defined anti-authoritarian freedom-loving figures forever.