Larry and Deke(Peter Fonda & Adam Roarke) steal money from a grocery store owner(temporarily using his daughter and wife as bait to get the cash)to fund their dreams of racing in Nascar. Mr. Stanton(Roddy McDowell, in a cameo appearance)will provide the proper funds by emptying his safe. Mary(Susan George), a parolee with her own small record of petty crime, comes along to accompany Larry(she could threaten to turn him in, but is a thrill-seeker and just wants to tag along). What proceeds is a country chase with Captain Franklin(Vic Morrow)riding high in the sky(in a chopper) coordinating road blocks and orders to his troopers on standby hoping to catch the trio who do not make it easy for them.
Larry, the balls(the driver, yearning to be a racecar star), Deke, the brains(the master mechanic who is loyal to Larry despite having plenty of reasons leave him), Mary, the looks(Larry enjoys sparring with her). The unnecessary ending is a real drag and seems to be included just so that the trio couldn't be allowed to succeed at their escape. I think, besides the ending, the film's real liability(it was a minor one for me, though)is the obnoxious childishness of Mary and Larry. I found Rourke's Deke a blessing in disguise because he's the one who, for most of the picture, keeps the screws mostly tight even if Larry orchestrates hot-rod antics that nearly get them killed countless times. Cop and civilian cars are destroyed on a regular basis. My favorite scene involves a daredevil deputy, with a souped up police car, following in hot pursuit as Larry attempts to evade him. Most of the movie has our trio motoring through country roads playing a chess match with Captain Franklin, who hovers overhead looking for them in a helicopter. Larry and Mary spend most of the movie having immature spats over innocuous things. Screen veteran Kenneth Tobey shows up as policeman Carl, always at odds with Franklin over his unwillingness to adhere to the appropriations committee regarding proper police protocol(he doesn't wear a uniform, badge, or gun)..Carl wants new patrol cars and is having a hard time convincing the committee to give them to his office. Could be looked at as a precursor to the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT series.
Larry, the balls(the driver, yearning to be a racecar star), Deke, the brains(the master mechanic who is loyal to Larry despite having plenty of reasons leave him), Mary, the looks(Larry enjoys sparring with her). The unnecessary ending is a real drag and seems to be included just so that the trio couldn't be allowed to succeed at their escape. I think, besides the ending, the film's real liability(it was a minor one for me, though)is the obnoxious childishness of Mary and Larry. I found Rourke's Deke a blessing in disguise because he's the one who, for most of the picture, keeps the screws mostly tight even if Larry orchestrates hot-rod antics that nearly get them killed countless times. Cop and civilian cars are destroyed on a regular basis. My favorite scene involves a daredevil deputy, with a souped up police car, following in hot pursuit as Larry attempts to evade him. Most of the movie has our trio motoring through country roads playing a chess match with Captain Franklin, who hovers overhead looking for them in a helicopter. Larry and Mary spend most of the movie having immature spats over innocuous things. Screen veteran Kenneth Tobey shows up as policeman Carl, always at odds with Franklin over his unwillingness to adhere to the appropriations committee regarding proper police protocol(he doesn't wear a uniform, badge, or gun)..Carl wants new patrol cars and is having a hard time convincing the committee to give them to his office. Could be looked at as a precursor to the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT series.