Cannonball (1976)

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

A Surprisingly Unforgettable Movie!

A Masterpiece!

David Carradine takes part in an illegal anything goes cross-country race from California to New York. Paul Bartel's second attempt at the race movie, while good isn't as fun as his previous "Death Race 2000". It's still fun in parts, but lacks the pacing and memorable characters (except for Carradine and the always watchable Dick Miller) My Grade: C+ DVD Extras: Interviews with David Carradine, Mary Woronov, and Roger Corman; Poster and Stills gallery; 3 TV spots; and Theatrical Trailer 1 Easter Egg: Highlight a hidden car in the Extras menu for a Carquake/ the giant spider invasion combo trailer

A motley collection of petrolheads compete in an illegal trans-America coast-to-coast car race from Santa Monica in California to downtown New York City.This movie is stupid, completely irresponsible, has no redeeming qualities and is terrific fun. It's also probably the definitive seventies Roger Corman / New World Pictures cult classic (although Death Race 2000 is more famous), featuring virtually every cult actor and director who ever worked for the great Corman (and later for Joe Dante) in its large cast. Everyone is terrific in it, though my favourites are the elder Carradine, Miller, the adorably cute Balaski, and Woronov. Keach has a hilarious bit as a professional German racer with a Von Richthofen accent, Arkush and Dante are equally funny as a couple of goofs who lend Carradine their car, and Scorsese and an unbilled Stallone have cameos as two mafia hoods. There really isn't much to say about the movie except that if you like B-movie stars, nutty stunts, fights, bad jokes and girls in nurses' outfits (all of which I do), this is the film for you. Written by Bartel and Simpson, along with The Gumball Rally it kicked off the spate of big studio road-racer movies (most of which were made by Hal Needham). Featuring great guerilla-style hand-held photography by Tak Fujimoto, high-octane stuntwork by Alan Gibbs, some very bad songs by David Axelrod, Bartel and Graham, and lots of corvettes, pontiacs, mustangs, lincolns and caddies. In the UK, this was given the stupid alternative title of Carquake.

CANNONBALL (2 outta 5 stars) Pretty dreary low budget car chase movie starring David Carradine and directed by Paul Bartel who teamed up for the classic "Death Race 2000" the year before. This time out inspiration seems to be have been replaced by desperation. The movie isn't really terrible... but there isn't much of it that you'll remember afterwards. Carradine plays the title character, the hottest and the coolest driver in the world who is determined to win an illegal cross country car race. Well, the plot is pretty much the same as "Death Race" and a lot of the same actors show up... but it's a pretty tepid follow-up. The wit and the satire of the previous movie are missing in action... this movie tries to be funny but it's the same kind of cheap, cornball gags you saw in practically *every* car chase flick in the '70s. The stuntwork is particularly unimpressive as well. The chief rule seems to be: "When in doubt, run someone off the road." Brief cameo appearance by Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone... probably the only time the two will ever work together.

One of Paul Bartel's more dreadful efforts -- definitely nowhere close to being in the same league with either "Eating Raoul" or "Death Race 2000." Granted it's typical of '70s "realistic"-appearing movies/TV shows, but the acting is by & large mediocre & the violence gratuitous. In addition, there is a lot of filler that is frankly inane & complements the plot line about as well as Ripple does Chateaubriand. About the best one can say for it is that David Carradine's & Veronica Hamel's performances are fairly good, & the explosion/crash FX are first-rate. Any of the iterations of "Cannonball Run" is superior to this, & that's based just on film merits & not starring casts. This travesty makes even "BJ & the Bear" look good. :(