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6
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10 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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I
vividly recall seeing this film, as an impressionable
12 year old, when it was theatrically released.
What I then thought was an awesomely cool movie
can now be properly evaluated for what it truly
is: not a great film to be sure, but rather an
above average drive-in B picture that delivers
solid thrills — despite a plot that tosses logic
to the winds.
Good friends Roger (Peter Fonda) and Frank
(Warren Oates) eagerly look forward to the "best
damn vacation" of their lives. Accompanied
by spouses Kelly (Lara Parker of TV's Dark
Shadows) and Alice (Loretta Swit, "Hot
Lips" on the sitcom M.A.S.H.), the
pals load up in Frank's luxury recreation vehicle
and depart San Antonio on a leisurely road trip
to Colorado for some skiing. (The RV even comes
with a microwave oven... A real high tech amenity
in 1975!) In the rural Texas countryside they
find an idyllic spot in which to get in some dirt
biking and camp for the night. Under a full moon
the guys are drinking and shooting the breeze
when they see a huge bonfire being lit across
the river. Surreptitiously observing the scene,
Frank and Roger at first think they're witnessing
a wild orgy; the naked women cavorting around
the fire (optically fogged to secure a PG rating)
have them jovially passing the binoculars back
and forth. ("That's choice!")
Amusement turns to horror, however, when one of
the female revelers is stabbed by a masked figure
in some kind of ritualistic human sacrifice. The
boys quickly decide to get the RV the hell out
of there before they're spotted, but it's too
late — a pack of cultists is splashing across
the river, charging straight for them.
After a very narrow escape the couples
head for the nearest police station to report
what happened. Amiable Sheriff Taylor (veteran
character actor R.G. Armstrong) duly investigates
but Frank smells something fishy. The local law
seems just a tad too flippant about a possible
murder, not to mention the incontrovertible physical
evidence of the attack on the RV. The sheriff
suggests that drug-crazed hippies are responsible
and that the killing was faked. Kelly's discovery
of a cryptic warning message, marked with Satanic
runes, would seem to indicate otherwise. Not exactly
sure what to believe, the foursome continues on
their vacation, happy to leave the horrible memory
behind. Gradually they come to realize that someone
is following them...
Race
With The Devil is
really just a mishmash of themes from the 'Backwoods
Brutality' films of the early 1970s (Straw
Dogs, Deliverance,
etc.) worked into a suspense/action thriller with
horror overtones. The whole satanic cult angle
could easily be replaced by some other type of
nefarious activity — drug smuggling, white slavery,
you name it — and little else in the plot would
need to be altered. (I suppose a different title
would be in order, though.) Basically it's just
a McGuffin to set the titular "race"
in motion. But rather than going for the jugular,
the film commendably takes its time establishing
the scenario while gradually ratcheting up the
suspense. The demolition derby doesn't kick in
until the final 15 minutes, in an exciting sequence
pitting the protagonists' RV against a posse of
trucks driven by the cultists. (In this age of
computer-enhanced action it's refreshing to see
real stuntmen
taking dangerous falls and pyrotechnics generated
with explosives instead of Pentium-powered pixels.)
Folks weaned on today's Attention Deficit Disorder
style of cinema may grow antsy waiting for the
vehicle crunching to commence.
An old hand in the exploitation field (both
in front of and behind the camera), director Jack
Starrett (The Losers)
helms in an efficient, straightforward style,
eschewing any pretense to slickness — though he
does manage to throw in an interesting shot here
and there. (That a significant portion of the
film takes place in the restrictive confines of
the RV had to have been a real challenge.) Action
set-pieces are deftly handled, given urgency by
some first-rate editing. The total lack of process
shots in the driving scenes, as well as Fonda's
willingness to do a lot of his own stuntwork,
lends an air of realism to the otherwise less-than-believable
story. (It seems west Texas is literally crawling
with devil worshippers. Who'da thought? And that
ending...) In the main composer Leonard Rosenman's
score sounds like a retread of his music for Battle
For The Planet Of The Apes (1973), although
the satanic chanting and wailing during the ritual
is actually kind of creepy.
In their third film together, Fonda (The
Wild Angels) and Oates (The
Wild Bunch) are just coasting but they're
well paired as guys of different ages, from different
backgrounds, who are nonetheless best buds. (Much
as in real life, apparently.) The underwritten
female leads are given significantly less to do.
This seems a bit odd considering the feminist
movement was in full swing by the mid-Seventies;
the wives in Race
are throwbacks to the completely helpless ingénues
of earlier decades. (Were my wife and I attacked
by homicidal Satanists she damn well better
lend me a hand!) Although they acquit themselves
nicely in their roles, Parker and Swit mostly
just scream a lot — and I mean a lot. Visits
to the Howler Monkey exhibit at the zoo seem downright
tranquil in comparison.
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Mastered
from the original negative, Anchor Bay's edition
of Race With The Devil
looks terrific for a low budget flick that's 30
years old. There's a light sheen of grain visible
in the daylight scenes but this is nothing out of
the ordinary for a film of this pedigree; otherwise
the anamorphic letterboxed (1.85:1) transfer is
nigh on flawless. A strong, crystal clear digital
mono mix serves the dialog and music well.
We get a surprising number of quality extras
here considering that the disc sells for under $14.
(A buck or two cheaper in retail stores.) There's
the theatrical trailer (a nice bit of ballyhoo that
gives away too many of the highlights), a trio of
radio spots, and two image galleries — one of promotional
artwork, lobby cards and VHS covers, the other a
selection of behind-the-scenes photos supplied by
Race's executive producer,
Paul Maslansky. A slickly edited 17 minute
featurette called Hell On Wheels is a recent
sit-down with star Peter Fonda, who waxes enthusiastic
about his participation in the film, his costars
(especially good friend Warren Oates) and crew.
The audio commentary with Maslansky and Lara Parker,
moderated by AB's Perry Martin, makes for an interesting,
entertaining listen and is well worth your time.
8/18/05 |
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