Vanishing Point

R

Now Playing

1 hr. 39 min.

Action

List

79%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

10,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Vietnam War hero Kowalski (Barry Newman) has become a pill-addicted driver for hire. Transporting a car from Colorado to California, he enlivens the journey by making a wager with his drug dealer: If the trip takes under 15 hours, Kowalski's latest amphetamine purchase is free. But Kowalski's recklessness on the road results in a much-publicized police chase. Radio jock Super Soul (Cleavon Little) covers the pursuit and turns Kowalski, who refuses to pull over, into a martyr for freedom.

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Pierre L

Logic : Logic studies the formal rules of thought and reasoning. It focuses on how it is possible to draw valid conclusions from given premises. Logic examines the structure of arguments, evaluating their coherence, validity, and truth. It also provides tools to analyze the relationships between propositions and concepts, thus enabling the resolution of complex problems in a rigorous and systematic manner. This is what Kowalski is attempting to do given the circumstances...

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

Nawt W

Incredible desert shots and stunts, it is never the same car chase again and again the movie moves on to something new every scene. And more than just squeezing every bit of artistry from what surely is a short script, the movie is exhilarating to watch without those themes.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/13/24

Full Review

Roy W

Excellent movie and soundtrack. A top ten if you're into car movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/20/23

Full Review

David F

This is an epic road trip of a B-Movie, filled out with some quirky characters and flashbacks. There is an anti-authority vibe as a car delivery specialist, Kowalski, makes a bet he can drive from Denver to San Francisco super fast. This leads to conflict with the authorities and there are dozens of motorcycle and car cops on his tail practically the whole way, taxing their imaginations coming up with ways to stop him. The plot and tension all come from this simple conflict between Kowalski's need for speed and the police's efforts to stop him.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/27/23

Full Review

Blobbo X

Good - if like car chase movies. BAD - If no like car chase movies.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

07/04/23

Full Review

dave s

Kowalski (Barry Newman), a Vietnam vet, former cop, and ex-racecar driver, clearly going through some sort of existential crisis, accepts a bet that he can drive a souped-up Charger from Denver to San Francisco in fifteen hours. The reward? A bag of bennies. While you have to wonder how a man who has so little regard for those he puts at risk on his journey becomes a folk hero along the way, Vanishing Point somehow manages to entertain from start to finish. Is it implausible throughout? Of course – no car could withstand the punishment Kowalski inflicts on the Charger. While Newman and Cleavon Little (as local D.J. Super Soul) are excellent throughout, the rest of the cast is less than stellar. However, the soundtrack and score are great, many of the action sequences are well done, and the scenery along the way is beautiful. Simply put, Vanishing Point is what it is.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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Allen Smithee

Director

Barry Newman

Kowalski

Cleavon Little

Super Soul

Charlotte Rampling

Hitchhiker

Dean Jagger

Prospector

Victoria Medlin

Vera Thornton

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Margaret Hinxman

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The film does whip up a genuine excitement and suspense. The director, Richard C. Sarafian, masterminds some gripping chase sequences, making good use of unknown actors and amateurs and a musical score that fits en route.

Jun 8, 2020

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

The action is almost entirely made up of one man driving a car at maximum speed from Denver to, hopefully, San Francisco.

May 6, 2008

Full Review

Peter Kenis

Rolling Stone

In a time when vacant retreads such as The Fast and the Furious are the problem, Vanishing Point is the answer.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 14, 2007

Full Review

Dilys Powell

Sunday Times (UK)

Aesthetically beautiful, emotionally very stirring.

Jun 2, 2020

Full Review

Dorothy Woodend

The Tyee (British Columbia)

If you thought the car parts in Tarantino's Death Proof provided the only worthwhile section of Grindhouse, Vanishing Point is the real deal.

Aug 23, 2017

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Merged the appeal of Bullitt with that of, say, Zabriskie Point...fast cars and dusty existentialism. [Blu-ray]

Rated: 3/4

Mar 13, 2009

Full Review

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Synopsis

Vietnam War hero Kowalski (Barry Newman) has become a pill-addicted driver for hire. Transporting a car from Colorado to California, he enlivens the journey by making a wager with his drug dealer: If the trip takes under 15 hours, Kowalski's latest amphetamine purchase is free. But Kowalski's recklessness on the road results in a much-publicized police chase. Radio jock Super Soul (Cleavon Little) covers the pursuit and turns Kowalski, who refuses to pull over, into a martyr for freedom.

Director: Allen Smithee
Executive Producer: Michael Pearson
Screenwriter: Guillermo Cabrera Infante
Production Co: Cupid Productions Inc.
Rating: R
Genre: Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1971, Original
Release Date (DVD): Feb 6, 2007
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)