I was trying to tune in the five o'clock news and the local stations were down on the satellite, so I was perusing the program guide and lo and behold there was Vanishing Point on the Fox Movie Channel.
I hadn't seen this in years and I didn't remember there being that many recognizable faces in it . Of course I remembered Barry Newman and Cleavon Little , but I saw John Amos (the radio station engineer, uncredited), Paul Koslo (his weasely self playing a cop), Dean Jagger (old coot hunting rattlesnakes), Timothy Scott (Pea Eye from Lonesome Dove as a hippy biker, perfect casting), and Rita Coolidge singing with Delaney and Bonnie as the J. Hovah singers.
I told my wife that if they remade this now, they would definitely change the ending. Kowalski would somehow jump out of the car before it hits and disappear from the law and live happily ever after with the naked bike rider chick.. We can't have downer endings anymore, however, this one was not a downer because you know the guy is finally at peace.
Got to love those 70's flicks.
Post Edited (09-25-04 17:48)
trek_geezer:
They DID remake this movie. I believe it was made for cable . . . USA Network or something. The remake isn't very good, and I believe it does have an ending that sort of leads you to believe that Kawalski survived . . .
Oh ! I missed it. Been wanting to see this one. Anyone know if its coming on again give me a movie alert. Thanks.
I've seen about half of the remake. It's is even worse than the Burgomaster suggested. They give Kowalski a first name, a reason for his drive with a goal (something to do with his wife being in labor far away), and they do imply that he somehow lived and is a mythic figure who has reunited with the daughter (I think the mother dies in childbirth). What makes it so cheesy is that the they do the old matinee serial trick of filming a seperate version of the same scene only this time with him bailing out claiming everyone was too distracted by the oncoming car to notice him rolling away, even though you could see he didn't the first time they show it.
Neat cast for the most part though Viggo Mortensen, Steve Railsback, Keith David, Peta Wilson, with one great big clunker - Jason Priestley as The Voice. Doesn't come close to Clevon Little as Super Soul.
Vanishing Point is one of my favorite flicks to come out of the 70s.
I love the fact that all we get is a single named hero, a hot car, some drugs, car chases and very little dialogue. It's classic stuff.
I've never seen the remake, and I hope to never see it. The ending to the original Vanishing Point fits the overall tone of the film perfectly. Great movie.
I usually describe it as "hypnotic" to people, I know that it really isn't that "deep", but it still pulls me in whenever I watch it.
I've got a buddy that I hang out with and we watch movies on his big theater system sometimes. Since he's into cars and working on them as a hobby, I've been introducing him to old car and car chase films. I told him next time I'd bring "Vanishing Point", since it's much better I figure it'll make up for us watching (well, sitting through) the original "Gone in 60 Seconds". I gave my copy to him since he has the remake, maybe he'll inflict both versions on others when they come visit.
Vanishing Point will be back on the Fox Movie Channel :
11/07/04 at 4:01pm Eastern
11/08/04 at 6:01am Eastern
The first time I saw VANISHING POINT was at the drive-in back in the 1970s. It was part of a double feature with DIRTY MARY, CRAZY LARRY. Two of the greatest car chase movies ever made!
Thanks Trek Geezer for the update film alert and even though I haven't seen VANISHING POINT I know it would be a great double feature with DIRTY MARY, CRAZY HARRY Burgomaster.
It would also make a good double feature with "Two-Lane Blacktop" starring Warren Oates, James Taylor, and Dennis Wilson. Another "deep" car film with the themes about individualism through driving, the "freedom" of the road, and nihilism. I liked it less than VP, but could see why people latched on to it.
I think I saw this at the drive in also. The 60's an early 70's were a strange time and films like VP tend show a little of that. Kawolski was lost like a lot of guys that served in the Nam and came back and nothing made sense to them anymore. This was a recurring theme in movies all through the 70's. Taxi Driver is of the same vein.
It 's funny that the war was constantly the theme in movies, but in the real world everyone wanted to get drunk or high, and have sex with anyone that was willing. Films were a constant reminder of everything people were trying like hell to forget.