Vanishing Point details
| Format: | 18 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Robert Donner, Cleavon Little, Barry Newman, Timothy Scott, Dean Jagger, Anthony James, Paul Koslo, Gilda Texter |
| Director: | Richard C. Sarafian |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure - General, Thriller |
| Studio: | 20TH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Vanishing Point |
18 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 35 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 09 Sep 2002 |
| Main languages: | English |
| Dubbed: | German, French, Spanish |
| Subtitles: | Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish |
| Hearing impaired subtitles: | English, German |
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Most helpful review
Vanishing Point - a cult classic
By Steven Walker from London, England , 08 Jul 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
The film centres around the protagonist Kowalski, an ex-cop, ex-racing driver and Vietnam vet. who now delivers cars for a living. At the start of the film he has a bet with a colleague that he can drive a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in under 24 hours. Due to some erratic, high speed driving and an incident with some hitchhikers he is pursued by the police. With the help of a blind radio DJ and his police scanner he is able to avoid capture until the climatic ending.
There are numerous reasons why I think is this an excellent film. The main one being, it captures the zeitgeist perfectly. The Vietnam war shaped so much of politcal and social thinking at the time that it's influence can clearly be seen in Vanishing Point which is essentially a car chase movie. Early Seventies counter-culture was based around the anti-establishment, personal freedom ethos of the hippy movement due to large scale dissention towards American involvement in Vietnam. Kowalski is an embodiment of this school of thought, he was a cop and vet. both establishment jobs. But he was unable to function in either role and for most of the film is on the run from the police. Now he drives across vast empty deserts, high on speed displaying his desire to feel free. This notion also acts as an explanation for his decisions at the end. In essence, his soul is still free and he is sticking it to 'the man' at the same time.
Having said this there are other possible reasons for Kowalski's action which adds to the enjoyment for me. For example, through flashbacks we learn of his past occupations and that his girlfriend/wife was killed in an accident. Consequently it is his inability to fit in, the loss of his lover and a mind clouded by drugs which combine to create the stark ending to the film.
A tight script, clinical direction and an excellent performance by Barry Newman as Kowalski produces an action-packed ride which entertains from beginning to end. Personally, I like it for the symbolism and the ambiguity of the main characters motivations but it can be enjoyed purely for the fast car chases and high-impact ending.
Recently, the film was used as the basis for the video Show Me How To Live by Audioslave proving that it is a genuine cult classic.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(33)Dodge Challenger's promo!
By LunarWolf (3 reviews) from Ruislip , 27 Mar 2012An excellent old film with a rather odd ending!!
great scenes throughout.
Easy to follow story line. in fact... a little too easy!
If you like the Dodge Challenger, you'll love this film!
:)- Was this review helpful to you?
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Not So Death Proof
By manonfireuk (317 reviews) from Liverpool , 13 Jan 2012Probably the most epic car chase film you'll ever see as 90% of the film is just one long car chase. The dialogue is limited but the action and the chases are cool. It has dated slightly and is very much of it's time, a film starring cool dudes, with cool hair and clothes, listening to some funky tunes but it's worth catching if you're a Tarantino fan because it's also referenced quite a bit in Death Proof :O)- Was this review helpful to you?
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ok but dated
By roland26 (15 reviews) , 27 Aug 2011good film but showing its age now could do with cleaning up the print and doing a blue ray version- Was this review helpful to you?
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Outstanding
By a customer from Oxfordshire , 25 Jun 2011One of the best early renditions of cult car films ever. For those of you in love with 1970's American Muscle this is the film for you. Although the acting isn't the best, the plot, music score and cinematography make up for it. Damn fine iconic film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Cars, Radio & 70's attitude.
By a customer , 22 Apr 2011This film is on my classic list, up there with Bullit. Some films you rember fondly but when you watch them again you are dissapionted, this is NOT one of them, it's as good as I remember it when I watched it in the early seventies.- Was this review helpful to you?
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