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Vanishing Point is a classic ‘70s car chase movie. The camera angles and close-ups combined with the vintage police cars and, of course, the Challenger, remind you of a time when movies didn’t really have to go anywhere as long as they were going there fast. There is some humor thrown in too, whether it is intentional or not. For instance, at one point Kowalski jumps the Challenger across a highway median, runs a truck off the road, comes back across the median to crash two police cars and then politely signals to change lanes as he cruises away from the scene.
Filmed in 1971, Vanishing Point also contains many scenes of the American counterculture that abounded in the ‘60s and early ‘70s. As Kowalski’s notoriety spreads, scores of hippies and well-wishers turn out across the countryside to show support for the man Super Soul calls “the last beautiful free soul”. The suspicions of small-town folks are portrayed too, as much through the police as through local citizens. It all adds up to an interesting cross-section of America at the end of the “Free Love” era, with Kowalski as the rebel hero leading the way out.
Despite its flaws, it can honestly be said that there are few movies out there that provide as much down-and-dirty car chase action asVanishing Point. It’s packed full of spectacular crashes, flat-out hard driving actionand even some really nice scenery. And then there’s that ending -- you may be pleased to find that no Challengers were harmed, er, well, completely destroyed in the production of this film. However, Bow Tie fans may want to look the other way...Enjoy!
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Ratings (all purely subjective):
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| Muscle car factor: |
Dodge: 1, Jaguar: 0 |
| Realism: |
The Camaro's a stretch. |
| Acting: |
The young lady on the motorcycle is very talented. |
| Plot: |
Who needs a plot when you've got muscle cars! |
| Recommendation: |
Gotta see it! |
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 The end of the line for Kowalski and his...uh, hey, that's a Camaro! |
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