On V List of Movie Reviews

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Vanishing Point (1971)

Rate: 6
Viewed: 3/21

3/21: My rating of '6' for Vanishing Point is primarily due to the scenes involving the white 1970 Dodge Challenger.

There isn't much of a plot although it makes a good use of flashbacks to explain the nihilistic character's motivation. Yes, the first half works, rivaling the famous scene in Bullitt, but the more Cleavon Little takes over, the worse Vanishing Point is. In fact, why is he even in it? His character isn't central to what's going on.

As great as the car chase is, I'm surprised to see little of it during the second half. What happened? Did the money run out? No wonder why the filmmakers opted for an easy way out by letting the driver commit suicide at the end. When it happens, the movie title is ironic if I think about it.

All in all, Easy Rider was there first and, more importantly, did it so well.

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