Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Kowalski (Barry Newman) is a speed freak in more ways than one, popping uppers so that he drive 24/7, having bet his drug dealer that he can deliver a supercharged car to California in record time; in doing so, he becomes a wanted man by the police.The car chase is a staple of the action movie genre, but Vanishing Point, by director Richard C. Sarafian, IS a car chase - the whole damn thing! As such, the plot is virtually non-existant, the film largely reliant on the vehicular action which sadly isn't jaw-dropping enough to sustain interest for almost 100 minutes.Being a product of the hippie generation, the whole thing is given a pseudomythological, existentialist vibe, in which driver Kowalski is elevated to legendary anti-hero status by DJ Super Soul (Cleavon Little), and there are plenty of off-beat characters along the way, all of which has secured the film a cult following, but I found the whole thing highly over-rated and ultimately pretty boring.On a more positive note, the cinematography is great, while the mythical road warrior angle and much of the shots seem to have influenced George Miller's Mad Max movies (leading to Fury Road, which for me, is the ultimate car-chase movie).

Well first of all it's not a thriller.It's just a movie about a guy driving fast from point A to point B. The whole movie is nothing else then that. I can imagine that in 1971 this movie would have score high rankings but we are in 2016 now so I watched it with my mind being in 2016. And so my ratings are not good for Vanishing Point. I was going to score it a five, but because of the end that I didn't like it dropped a point. If you are a fan of American muscle cars, or more specifically a Dodge Challenger in this case then you might like Vanishing Point. Or if you are a fan of the music from that time then you might like it as well. But for the rest, the story is just weak and quite ridiculous. Maybe in that time the driver would not have been caught for so long, but in 2016 he would not make it for more then 50 miles. It's like the police in the seventies are retarded. Add on that some hippies in the desert, some gays hitchhiking, a nude hippie chick on a Honda in the desert and that's the whole story.

Released in 1971, "Vanishing Point" stars Barry Newman as Kowalski, a pill-popping former racer and police officer, who bets that he can deliver a supercharged car from Denver to San Francisco in 15 hours. The police in four states try to apprehend him as a DJ (Cleavon Little) supports him on the airwaves. Dean Jagger plays a geezer Kowalski runs into in the desert.This is a cult flick about the adventures of a rebel without a cause. While it has similarities to 1969's "Easy Rider," it's not as compelling and the subtext isn't as good (see my review of "Easy Rider").The story is a big middle finger to what was called "the establishment" at a time when the Vietnam War was making a wreck of America's social cohesion. Kowalski was part of that establishment when he was a cop, but became disillusioned after he exposed corruption and was punished for it, but heralded by the counterculture. Kowalski had seen the underbelly of the "pig" and didn't want to be part of it. At the beginning he drives off the road and you see him looking at some derelict vehicles. He increasingly realizes HE is a derelict on the side of the road with nowhere to go. What better next stop than oblivion? The climax is his *beep* off moment to go out on HIS terms. Three years later "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" sorta ripped it off. While that movie lacks the interesting (and ambiguous) subtext of "Vanishing Point," it's a more compelling watch. Despite the many car chases, "Vanishing Point" is surreal and even languid, embellished by a listless score (e.g the opening) and acid rock tracks throughout; while I don't like the former, most of the latter tracks are good and fit the ambiance of the movie.Then there's the naked blond on the motorcycle sequence. Someone incredulously asked: "How could he possibly turn down a sexy naked blonde? What's his problem?!" I guess sexiness is in the eye of the beholder because I didn't find her all that sexy. Sure, she has a pretty face, but her body is nearly as un-curvy as a 12 year-old girl. But some guys prefer thinner women and that's cool; to each his own. In addition, Kowalski was still grieving over his true love. Moreover, the naked blond didn't play the game of seduction, which takes time and imagination. Instead she prematurely throws her entire hand on the table and it simply doesn't turn Kowalski on. Lastly, despite it being the "free love" era (1970), Kowalski was much older (and arguably nobler) than the average hippie; as such, he didn't feel it proper to take advantage of the mate of the guy who was selflessly helping him (at least not without his clear permission).The movie runs 99 minutes and was shot in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.GRADE: B- COMMENTARY ON THE MEANING ***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read further unless you've seen the movie) In an interview Barry Newman very seriously explained Kowalski's actions at the end: "He thought he could make it through; and that was the reason for the smile just prior to the impact." I don't question this since the actor himself would have more insights about the movie than the viewer, but even his answer is ambiguous. It could mean (and probably does) that Kowalski thought he could make it through to the other side, i.e. leave the physical plane for the spiritual one and the (possible) freedom thereof. After all, he sees "the light" between the blades of the bulldozers while approaching. Keep in mind that Kowalski was hopped up on a lot of drugs. As such, he doesn't commit suicide in the sense he wants to die, but rather kills himself in the accident because he BELIEVES he'll make it through; physically or spiritually, it doesn't matter. He believed.

A few years before "Smokey and the Bandit" would present a confusing mixture of messages about the joys of traveling the road, came "Vanishing Point", a superb film about which so much could be written. I saw this film when it first came out--a nineteen year old who could really identify with the film's point of view.Yes, this film owes a debt to "Easy Rider" (1969) and "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967), but the anti-heroes of "Easy Rider" were looking for truth. Kowalski, the anti-hero of "Vanishing Point" is looking for freedom.This film should be classified under "fantasy". It is a libertarian fantasy, a dream of escaping the control and corruption of the establishment (as it was then called). In the early 70s, a great turmoil enveloped this country. Those who fought for peace (in the shadow of the Vietnam conflict), racial equality, a redefining of gender roles, and the freedom of the individual to do or become whatever he desires (as long as it does not violate the freedom of others) became the counterculture, a massive challenge to the status quo and those who wished to maintain traditional values.Kowalski (Barry Newman) is a man who's background and history is revealed throughout the film. From a man who merely drives for a living, he becomes a man who is trying to cope with the tragedies and inequalities of his past. Eventually, he becomes a hero to the people on the fringe of society who recognize his fight as their own. He battles the "blue meanies" (a reference to The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine"). There are various clues that this is a fantasy. No one gets hurt despite some dangerous activities. This is important because Kowalski is not out to hurt others. There are also some scenes that, though "real", seem almost to be dreams.As he drives his Challenger (of course) down western highways that disappear in the infinite at that vanishing point on the horizon, we begin to see that this is one man's rebellion, as assertion that he will no longer be controlled. This man of few words has nothing left to lose, perhaps.Accompanied by some great tunes and the encouragement of a blind DJ, Kowalski meets some interesting characters. Watch for Dean Jagger in a small, choice role as a snake hunter. "Vanishing Point" has a great cast of credited and uncredited actors and musicians.Will Kowalski (like Moses) lose his way in the desert, but eventually emerge to find a promised land? Will he become invincible and larger than life? Will he become a martyr, either by intention or by accident?One could write pages about this film and its messages. It helps to have seen it in 1971, to experience it as part of the milieu of its time. But this film is a metaphor for principles that are timeless.