Vanishing Point

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Wait for DVD
Review: The DVD, while somewhat lacking in "special features" was still worth the wait. The picture and sound quality are much better than the VHS. But keep in mind that the film is from 1971 so don't expect perfection. The real plus is that you get both versions of the film - the US release and the UK release w/ the added scenes of Kowalski picking up a female hitchiker. You also get the director's commentary for both versions. The other features are TV & theater trailers.

If you are a real fan of this movie - get the DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Vanishing Point
Review: It Is All Time Best Movie Of All Times..This Movie Is For All The Mopar Fans...Some Chevy Guys Don't Like But That OK!!!! All Around The Best Car Movie Of All Times....

Rating:
Summary: A Low Budget Film That is Surprisingly Good
Review: You may need to be over 40 to appreciate the social contrasts of American life in 1971 and today. In April of that year an estimated 500,000 Americans were in Washington DC protesting against our involvement in Vietnam. Howard Hughes was still living; NASA sent a probe to Mars while the crew of Apollo 15 was riding for the first time in the Lunar Rover. Charles Manson and 'family' were found guilty for the murder of Sharon Tate. The U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) was formed this year, so was the Libertarian party in the USA. The Concord SST was doing flight tests, Intel announced their 4004 chip, and the movie Vanishing Point began showing in our local movie houses.

The star of the movie is not the '70 Dodge Challenger; rather the star is the freedom the car and its driver are trying to attain through speed, and ultimately death. Most of us never know when we'll die, yet the character Kowalski seems to have one up on us. He has been running through life's trials like questions with multiple choice answers, eliminating the obvious wrong answers first.

The vast open spaces the cinematography so wonderfully capture frame the path to the Pearly Gates; rather a crack of light between the blades of a couple of CAT dozers that Director Sarafian refers to as a crack in the fence. Kowalski's soul is about to be set free and the Challenger is just the vehicle that can go fast enough to do it.

As Insurance company's rates soared for muscle cars and Emissions standards pummeled high output engines, the whole muscle car era faded to black in a few years. The movie Vanishing Point is a time machine - the beginning of the end.

The DVD version is by far my favorite which includes Mr. Sarafian's narration as an option. I would have loved to have heard Barry Newman and Clevon Little (sadly deceased in 1992), and or some of the crew with Sarafian discuss the making of the film. There's also a UK version of the film including the cut scenes with Charlotte Rampling (great scene). This is definitely one to add to your library. 5 Stars in my book.

Rating:
Summary: Finally to DVD
Review: After waiting for many years, I am pleased to say that this DVD release is quite a bit better than the laserdisc version. The 1.85:1 anamorphic picture is quite sharp and has good color. However, the sound is only fair, being clear but still monophonic.

The UK side of the disc is the more complete version of the movie, and has Charlotte Rampling credited and featured in a scene that was not on the laserdisc - a treat for those who have not seen it before.

The director's commentary adds another new perspective to the movie also.

Rating:
Summary: NO
Review: TO ALL FANS OF THIS MOVIE, AT THE END IT IS NOT THE '70 ,440 SIX PAK CHALLENGER,THAT RUNS INTO THE BULL'DOZERS, IT S A '69 CAMARO. SLOW PLAY IT. THE ORIGINAL STILL EXISTS IN A MUSUEM . ELENORE, FROM " GONE IN 60 SECONDS " IS ALSO IN A MUSEUM . TO ME THE SECOND "GONE, W/ NICK CAGE," SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN CALL'ED " GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS" . IT WAS A GOOD FLICK BUT IT SHOULD OF HAD A DIFFERENT TITLE. "GONE" WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED.

Rating:
Summary: A GREAT MOVIE & DVD
Review: I GOT THE DVD JAN 9, AND IT WAS ONLY $9.00, THE PICTURE IS A 10, THE SOUND IS ABOUT A 8, IT HAS THE US, AND THE UK VERSIONS ON THE DVD, AND ITS WIDESCREEN. A GREAT CAR CHASE MOVIE.

Rating:
Summary: This movie became my life
Review: I first saw this movie when i was about...16? I was amazed, im 23 now and i am in the same line of work as the main character, a few differences but when this comes out? I will actually pull over to my garage "house and everything in the nevada desert, you wont find it" I`ll have it sent to the same friends house im writing this review from and buddy? Oh man, the surround sound on this movie will be great.......living life everyday at about 100 mph..very few friends, and no family? This is one of those rare movies that make me feel like i live a normal life. [e-mail] any road warriors wanna talk?

Rating:
Summary: Best car movie ever!
Review: The movie opens at the climax of the film, where we are shown a roadblock of monstrous proportions, and a white 1970 Dodge Challenger rocketing toward it. From there the tale begins, backing up two days to give the rest of the story. An interstate chase is on for the driver of the Challenger, whom we know nothing at all about. As the story unfolds, the identity of the driver is rationed out in flashbacks and news reports, slowly bringing into focus the nature of the character. At first, we naturally assume the driver to be a simple car thief, as does law enforcement. Gradually, we learn that the driver is not a thief at all, he is simply delivering the car. He is a decorated Vietnam veteran who joined the police department after his honorable discharge, married a beautiful girl, and then lost her in a surfing accident. Not long after, he stopped a senior officer from beating and raping a young hippie girl, and was dishonorably discharged from the force. We also learn that his high-octane burn across the desert is to satisfy a simple wager: if he makes it from Denver to San Francisco in less than 15 hours, he doesn't have to pay for the amphetamines he bought to keep him awake for the trip. He is guided along the way by blind disc jockey "Supersoul" (Cleavon Little), who speaks to the driver (whose name is we learn is Kowalski (no last name given, via the AM radio in the Challenger. Supersoul is Kowalski's invisible guardian angel, advising him of the cop's attempts to stop him, at least until some local rednecks bust into the radio station with a storm of rocks and racial epithets and beat Super Soul and his engineer into submission. As Kowalski rockets across the blasted desert landscape, he encounters numerous crackpots and visionaries, all of whom seem to offer another piece to the puzzle that Kowalski's life has become. From prospectors to faith healers, outlaws to newlywed hijackers, we are given a glimpse into a world that exists far from the beaten track we all travel each day. As Kowalski hurtles toward his date with the destiny that was mapped out for us at the very beginning of the film, each rumor and news report seems to contradict the image of him that is being played out by the police of several states, elevating him to something of a folk hero among a growing legion of fans and supporters.
This movie knocked me out from the very beginning. For those die-hards, yes, there are plenty of car chases and stunts to satisfy most fans of car/action films. But that's not the whole story, by any measure. For this is the story of one man, not a mythic legend, or even a regional folk hero. Why does he do what he does? He simply has nothing left to lose or gain. How many men returned from Vietnam at least a little disillusioned by the world they came home to? How many have had their lives mapped out neat and pretty, only to have the blind monkey wrench of fate turn their worlds upside down? Here is a man who is perfectly willing to sacrifice his freedom, his safety, and possibly even his life to win what amounts to a ten-dollar bet, at best. When Kowalski finally arrives at the roadblock, the inevitable conclusion to his odyssey, he takes the only road he knows, a path which had been set for him ever since the beginning.

On a cinematic level, the influence of Vanishing Point is far reaching, indeed. The story of a jaded ex-cop who has lost his wife, his hope and, to a degree, his humanity, was taken and nitro-injected in George Miller's Mad Max (1979) and the Road Warrior (1982), as Max Rockatansky (not too far a reach from Kowalski) has his life violently ripped out from under him, and thus turns to the open road. At first for revenge, but then because it is the only world he can exist in, a place where jungle law prevails. By then, Max is nothing more than a shell, a ghost of a human who haunts the blighted landscape propelled by a hunger not even he can understand. One of the most effective plot devices is that of not giving the protagonist a name until well into the film. Joel Schumaker used this technique very well in his good movie Falling Down (1993), not giving Michael Douglas' character a name until the final act of the film's story. By doing this, we are allowed to see the character as a sort of everyman, someone whom we may know, or may even be. We are then free to observe the goings-on at a much more personal level, knowing all too well that the story being played out upon the screen could, given the right circumstances, be any of us, and to that end, possibly even all of us. By the time we learn that the character is someone, it's too late. They are already a part of us, bound by destiny and experience. Also of note is the using of a disc jockey to provide a running commentary on the nature and exploits of the protagonist (as well as provide a reasonable source for the music in the film), a device used, to lesser effect, in Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979). Lastly, although film characters have been bumping into oddballs in the desert for years, Abbe Wool's wonderful Roadside Prophets (1992) stands out as the protagonists wander through the desert, encountering numerous wisdom-dispensing desert dwellers, each contributing their ideas, ideals, and experiences in a way that lends toward a larger collective ideology wherein a greater truth resides.

This is a masterpiece of filmmaking. Do yourself a huge favor and check it out.

Rating:
Summary: Ten thumbs up!
Review: How much has THIS movie affected my life? Too much, I'm afraid... ;)

After over thirty years of it's release...I FINALLY had the opportunity to acquire and reproduce a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T to the specs of this great movie! And you can bet it was something I have been wanting to do for every bit of those 32 years prior!

Although the angelic white Challenger is frequently the "star" of this release, the main character Barry Newman (Kowalski) is equally, and likely more so.

Those who find this movie to be short on subject/plot (aside from the fantastic car chases, etc.), usually fail to realize that this flick is a true "character study" of a very deep personality in Kowalski.

This movie is a must buy, must rent for those who like great cars, deep subject lines, and amazing action.

Oh yes, you can see my V.P. Challenger replication (and some movie still photos) at:

http://www.vanishingpointcar.com

Rating:
Summary: A Classic!!
Review: Vanishing Point has this effect on you that can't be explained. I have watched this movie over a hundred times in the 1980's.

Kowalski drives his white Dodge Challenger ( Colorado plates OA5599) from Denver to California. Lot's of high speed car scenes with police cars in pursuit of the man.

Just today I saw a clip on TV (Audioslave - Show me how to live) that is a remake of VP. Actually some scenes are from the movie itself.

Movie with a cult following no doubt.