Vanishing Point

THE FLICK: Certain films inspire a sense of ownership. They are the underdogs, the movies that no one else knows about, sitting on a dusty shelf in the back of the video store, habitually rented out by a select few who embrace them warts and all. Too unpopular to be called cult...too eccentric to find mainstream success. Films like “Vanishing Point,” a counter-culture action film with a need for speed. Bereft of stars and short on story, the film follows Kowalski (Barry Newman) as he races the clock to deliver a Dodge Charger from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. Hopped up on pills, he soon picks up a caravan of local authorities who chase him across three states and several highways trying to end the folk hero worship spawned by a blind DJ (Cleavon Little of “Blazing Saddles”) who preaches the anti-authoritarian gospel. Along the way, Kowalski runs into an eclectic group of characters (helpful hippies, mean-spirited moonies, and a gay version of Bonnie and Clyde) lifted straight out of American culture circa 1971. Modeled after the free-wheeling adventures of “Easy Rider,” director Richard C. Sarafian’s film aspires to be many things. And like “Easy Rider,” it’s a film of its time, with many scenes now laughably nostalgic in appearance and execution. But Sarafian’s non-linear style and stripped down story makes the most of what’s there. Not to mention John Alonzo’s impressive white-line cinematography (which Sarafian humbly credits with at least half the picture’s success). THE FEATURES: Two versions of the film are included on flip sides of the same disc. The UK version is 7-minutes longer and features a scene with British star Charlotte Rampling that didn’t get seen in the U.S. Sarafian delivers a decidedly slow-paced but informative running commentary. Even he seems a bit vague about the film’s intentions, but there’s a good deal of factoids passed along. FINAL SCORE: “Vanishing Point” combines the road-rash asphalt esthetic with the sketchy philosophy that “speed means freedom of the soul.” Unique to a fault. Original without exception. It’s free love with a full tank of gas.