Two-Lane Blacktop

United States

1971

103 Min

Color

2.35:1

English

Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
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SCR Rudolph Wurlitzer, Will Corry

DP Jack Deerson, Gregory Sandor

CAST James Taylor, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird, Dennis Wilson, Rudolph Wurlitzer, Jaclyn Hellman, Harry Dean Stanton

Drag racing east from L.A. in a souped-up ‘55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates’s Pontiac GTO-driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race—the prize: their cars’ pink slips. Yet no summary can do justice to the existential punch of Two-Lane Blacktop. Maverick director Monte Hellman’s stripped-down narrative, gorgeous widescreen compositions, and sophisticated look at American male obsession make this one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made. —The Criterion Collection

Director

Monte Hellman

Monte Hellman (born July 12, 1932, in New York City, New York) is an American film director, producer, and film editor.

Hellman is among a group of directing talent mentored by Roger Corman, who produced several of the director’s early films. Hellman’s most critically acclaimed film to date has been Two-Lane Blacktop (1971), a road movie that was a box office failure at the time of its initial release but has subsequently turned into a perennial cult favorite.¹ Hellman’s two acid westerns starring Jack Nicholson, Ride in the Whirlwind and The Shooting, both shot in 1965 and released directly to television in 1968, have also developed cult followings, particularly the latter. A third western, China 9, Liberty 37 (1978), was far less successful critically, although it too has its admirers, as do Cockfighter (1974) (aka Born to Kill) and Iguana (1988). In 1989 he directed the straight-to-video slasher film Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch… read more

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tiago

7Apr13

My favorite american film, too bad american cinema will never go that far on the road again. One can dream of making such a meaningful and profoundly resonant film like Two-Lane Blacktop, but only Monte Hellman has the balls to do it in a Hollywood production. No wonder that received backlash on its release whereas Easy Rider was a success, this industry wants nothing with ethics or the truth.

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Anna

4Mar13

"Here's to your destruction." "Same to you."

Sean

6Feb13

Cars have never sounded so good in probably the best road movie ever made. James Taylor and Dennis Wilson in their only acting roles takes us on a journey across country as they race against another driver to Washington. The Winner gets the loser's car.I was quite surprised at how much I loved this film and the realness of it.

Sudipto Basu

21Jan13

I honestly need a second viewing to get in the mood - something I managed pretty late into the film. But boy, what a strangely life-like figure GTO is!