When I first saw this as a teenager in the 1970s I thought it was a great commercial for a Challenger R/T and it still is - Dodge must have been pleased. The movie owes a lot to "Easy Rider" and a little to "Bullitt" which preceded it, but it set a new benchmark for the road movie genre, one which hasn't been surpassed, although many of the elements have been copied since. The cinematography is simply beautiful, and even if you're not into cars it should be watched for its presentation of the great wide open desert areas of America. It isn't all about speed thrills, there are occasions where Kowalski slows or stops to appreciate forgotten still life and tranquility. From a social perspective it was made at the transition from the 1960s to the 1970s and captures this phase well; the idealism of the "love, peace and good vibes" period was being replaced with something else. I give the movie a 9 overall, it doesn't quite get a 10 because of a few elements - such as the gay robbers - which could have been dropped in favor of developing other aspects more.
Review of Vanishing Point
