This one is an interesting ride, so to speak. I’m not even sure how to address it. From what I can surmise given the 1971 makings, it’s kind of the last gasps of Viet Nam with full anti-establishment sentiments goings on, some of the racial tensions of the times. This guy? He is driven like the Devil himself is chasing him. Why? Flashbacks slowly reveal his history, the cop chatter fill in most of the other bits. But still vague enough to let you wonder what’s actually goin down.
Opening sequence in Smalltown, Nowheresville as some bulldozers line up on the street for a blockade as the locals look on, cops, helicopters. Car comin. Looks fast. Skip back a couple of days. Kowalski. Car delivery service. 11:30 pm in Denver. Car needed in San Fran by Monday. After a little quicker picker-upper stop, he on the way!
This is more of an internal play as the car flies down the road. Kowalski is not unkind, he shows empathy to the crashed drivers, picks up a lot of hitchhikers. But he has his issues. Driving fast placates that only so much. Cleavon Little as Super Soul, the radio disc jockey (aka “DJ”) spinnin tunes and giving Kowlaski shout-outs as he progresses is a nice touch while providing some good music and societal context. The ending gives one pause from the constant drive. Interesting, as said before. Definitely a bit of a time capsule to show how the times were changin. The film itself is shot well. The 1970 White Challenger is a bad-ass car. The hippies and revivals and raystisms, all in the mix. Strange times makes for interesting films. This one ain’t bad.
