Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

DubyaHan The movie is wildly uneven but lively and timely - in its own surreal way

Michael Morrison Any movie that shows federal PIGs (Persons In Government) to be the power-mad threats they are in real life has a lot to recommend it to me.Alas, the script supervision and editing and even, at times, the directing are flawed so there will be people who will disparage the whole movie and ignore the good moments.I saw the original way back when it was new and hated it, despised it, loathed it. Thought it was a terrible, irrational piece of junk.Now, though, I don't remember why.I believe the two should not be compared or even connected.Consider them as two different movies.Rate them as two different movies.This "Vanishing Point" provides a rallying place, a banner for people who want to encourage individualism, who believe in human rights, who recognize the threat to freedom government can be and is, especially the federal government."The Voice" wears a cap bearing the state motto of New Hampshire: "Live Free or Die." At one time it would have been the motto of most Americans.Despite its obvious flaws, "Vanishing Point" is a film to cheer.

Ddey65 The premise of both the 1971 version and the 1997 TV-remake seem the same; a guy with a fast car leads police on a long-distance chase driving through the Rocky Mountains on a fight against "the man." In the first one, Barry Newman is a speed-addicted driveaway man hired to take the car from Denver to San Francisco, who intends to do so in merely 15 hours. The remake has Luke Perry racing cross-country to get some experimental medicine for his ailing wife and child. In the original, his sympathizers are mostly left-wing radicals, and in the remake they're right-wing radicals. In both versions they're cheered on by local disc jockeys who make heroes out of them. Both Cleavon Little and Jason Priestly present their respected heroes as a backlash against what they hate about the modern world. And both versions are complete pieces of garbage. I remember reading about the original and how it was praised as an anti-establishment cult-classic, but after I rented it I found it lame, incoherent, and utterly mind-numbing. Ditto for the FOX remake. So what if the central characters each drive a cool Dodge Challenger? Cool cars don't always make cool movies, and neither do road trip movies. In my review of ROAD TRIP(2000), I mentioned that shooting a movie on the road is no guarantee of success or quality, and this as well as it's original version are two prime examples.The only reason I can think of to see this movie is to make comparative notes with the original and vice-versa. Other than that, forget it.

Preeko If you have seen the comments i have left for other films i have only commented on my favourite films, this one is no exception. Great car chases and overall one of my most favourite films. I was very lucky to have seen this film because not many people have, but if you ever see it advertised make sure you watch it. I only wish that this masterpiece is brought to DVDRating: Six stars out of five

vchimpanzee At the beginning of the movie, barricades are being set up at an Idaho railroad bridge, and protesters on both sides of an issue are being held back by some of the numerous cops on the scene. Even more cops are arriving in a sea of blue and red lights. Finally, we see the white car.Then we back up to a week earlier. Jimmy Kowalski is worried about his pregnant wife, who is about to deliver, and there are potential problems that make him reluctant to leave his Idaho home to make a delivery to New Mexico. His wife assures him everything will be all right, and he goes to New Mexico anyway. Once there, he has to bring back a white 1970 Dodge Challenger--not just a car, but the ultimate muscle car. After telephoning to check on his wife, Kowalski finds out there were problems and his wife has been taken to the hospital. He heads for home as fast as he can make that car go, but gets pulled over by cops who rough him up--just as he was roughed up years ago. Apparently Kowalski has a past, because the same thing happens in one of the numerous flashbacks, though the past is explained later by someone who knows about what happened. Kowalski escapes and leads the cops on the first of what will be many exciting chases. Later, the problem is not just that Kowalski was speeding. Since he comes from Idaho, where there have been white supremacist groups, he is suspected of being another Timothy McVeigh, carrying explosives or something else that will lead to the next major terrorist attack. On his side is a radio DJ known as 'The Voice' who is strongly opposed to government interference in people's lives, and is not afraid to speak his opinions. As Kowalski drives all over the West with the help of numerous quirky characters, he alternates between 'The Voice' and a police scanner he gets in order to stay one step ahead of the cops. (I have to believe Voice's radio station has one of the most powerful FM signals in the whole country, because no matter where he goes, Kowalski never seems to be out of range.) Eventually, as Kowalski becomes a celebrity thanks to CNN, callers from around the country phone in their opinions to 'The Voice', including people who know Kowalski and his situation and don't believe he is anything but a speeder. Still, he has an overzealous Utah state trooper and his goofy partner on his tail, not to mention a determined FBI agent who does not want to be embarrassed.The movie gains some significance when Kowalski meets up with a group of Native Americans who watch TV and know what is happening. Having been the victim of federal government persecution themselves, they are willing to help, and they also teach him lessons about nature. The flashback where he meets his wife as they rescue a mountain lion has more meaning when the Indians explain that the lion was here first. Other flashbacks show his relationship with his wife progressing, including his baptism (he wasn't religious but she was) and his wedding. He is also shown receiving a medal for Desert Storm; this has some meaning because one of those who helps Kowalski respects him for his war service, but it didn't seem necessary.I liked this movie overall. Some of the characters were funny even though this wasn't supposed to be a comedy, and there was lots of exciting chase action.Possible Spoiler: I loved it when Kowalski, having figured out that he was being tracked by his cell phone use, put the phone on a bus, and the FBI agent ended up being made to look like a fool when the bus was stopped and the phone was found in the luggage compartment.********************SPOILERS******************** I found the ending very disappointing and wish it could have somehow been handled differently. In a way, a happy ending was possible, but the way it happened makes no sense. It is suggested that there never was a pregnant wife and that Kowalski imagined the whole thing, wishing that his wife had not died when she was pregnant at some point in the past. But there was too much evidence the wife was real and I just don't understand why it had to be done that way. The writers gave themselves an escape but didn't use it. And the crazy theory from 'The Voice' on how the movie ended: well, that's just impossible, though it would have made for a happy ending.