A '55 Chevy takes on a '70 GTO in a race across the Southwest in Monte Hellman's cult favorite. The Driver (James Taylor) and the Mechanic (Dennis Wilson) phlegmatically slouch from race to race, pitting their gray Chevy against any and all gearheads in order to make money for gas and food. They and the tag-along Girl (Laurie Bird) meet their match in "Oh Maybelline" fan GTO (Warren Oates), and they all set off on a cross-country race to Washington D.C., with the winner getting the loser's car.
But it isn't the end that really counts; it is the process of getting there, as the Girl's fickleness forces the Driver to decide what matters more: endless races or her. Shot on location from a spare script by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry, Two-Lane Blacktop was trumpeted as the "film of the year" in Esquire magazine before its release. It bombed, and disputes over music rights kept it from home video until 1999, but repertory and TV screenings have gained it an avid following for its automotive detail, flashes of authentic idiosyncrasy, and artfully abstract examination of the urge to forge ahead, whether or not there is anywhere to go. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
This exciting existentialist road movie by Monte Hellman, with a swell script by Rudolph Wurlitzer and Will Corry and my favorite Warren Oates performance, looks even better now than it did in 1971.
even if the Driver and co. are just passin' through, they encapsulate a whole generation lost in the rootless, directionless '70s, scorching the viewer's retina with their quest for nothing.
Directed by Monte Hellman from a script reworked by author Rudolph Wurlitzer, it's the greatest road movie ever made, a modern Western without frontiers...
Hellman's 1971 road picture is a genuine slice of Americana. It takes place in the general malaise of the early 70's, as the idealism of the late 1960's gave way to chaos and the harsh reality of humanity. Oates' performance is absolutely masterful and heartbreaking as a man in a constant state of reinvention in hopes
to one day be grounded. Even though he is more transparent than Taylor and Wilson, there is an air of despair that hovers around all of these men as they try to create their own path in life unsuccessfully. Hellman lets the viewer go along for the ride as his camera is always placed in the backseat looking through that dusty windshield. It is an excellent piece of American cinema and a snapshot of world turned upside down.
No quotes approved yet for Two-Lane Blacktop. Logged in users can submit quotes.
Submit a Quote from 'Two-Lane Blacktop'
A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. Please make your quotes accurate. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the RT staff.
Example:
Luke: Alright. I'll give it a try. Yoda: No. Try not. Do or do not. There is no try.
Top Critic
