Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)

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Directed by Monte Hellman.

Starring Laurie Bird, David Drake, Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Dennis Wilson, James Taylor.

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, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Baby, Don't Loose Your Lip On Me
by JakeStevens in JakeStevens Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I liked this film much more than "Easy Rider", which this film is often in league with, or at least partly inspired by. The four main characters in this film are some of the most interesting peripatetic individuals you'll ever see in cinema. Whereas "Easy Rider" seemed more like and editor salvaging together whatever footage he could of that hazy, drug-induced mess, this film obviously has more craft to its narrative structure and cinematography. There are scenes that feel like you're actually sitting in the back seat of a suped up Chevy, and the sound track is one of the most effective and realistic I've seen in a long time. The score is pleasurable also, as I felt it really induced the musical mindset of the era. Some claim the acting is subpar, but I disagree whole-heartedly; it's naturalistic and pre-dates "American Graffiti" by a couple of years. Why this film hasn't taken Easy Rider's place on AFI's 100 Best List is be ... " [More]

Two-Lane Blacktop
by Risselada in Risselada Blog

liked it.

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"Two-Lane BlacktopWell I rented this movie from this Chicago video store called Odd Obsessions. I didn't know any other way to find it. And I did have an interest in seeing it for it's cult status and that it was supposed to be maybe Monte Hellman's best movie. I didn't think that it was going to be released in wide distribution any time soon. But now I just found out that Criterion Collection is going to be releasing it soon, and with a double disc set.I'm not sure if I'm disappointed that I didn't wait to watch it on the Criterion edition. I'm guessing their transfer will probably be better. But I'm not sure I could handle that many special features, especially since I think I would feel compelled to watch them all if I rented it (as I most often do).But I kind of wonder if this is a movie that is better off just knowing less about. Or if it's a movie that is so sort of mysterious in its simple appeal and mystery that you want to hear ... " [More]

Two-Lane Blacktop
by konec in konec Blog

liked it.

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"This one has an atmosphere not quite like that of any movie I've ever seen, sort of in a way similar to Badlands without all that stuff happening or maybe what would happen if Antonioni directed a road movie. The unnamed characters drive around, talk shop, and challenge each other to vaguely defined and interminable races. Feelings of post-hippie malaise permeate. James Taylor, Dennis Wilson, and Laurie Bird aren't really called upon to act so much as they're called upon to sit around looking doped up, but they (particularly Taylor and Bird) do so to great effect. Warren Oates is alone among the stars actually doing some acting, and he does a good job of it. The only problem is that, in its attempts to evoke ennui it ends up just as often causing it. I had a hard time keeping still and focused for certain stretches, and suspect that a good half hour could've been cut off the film to positive effect. Still, I dug it. " [More]

Re: Actor scramble...
by joem18b in Games

hasn't rated it.

"Holy cow. I just posted about this movie somewhere and listed all the actors in it. I'm becoming Memento-like.One of my favorite movies, although now with the Bad Faith controversy, I'm not so sure...Two-Lane Blacktop Warren Oates, Laurie Bird, James Taylor, Dennis WilsonAnd now... the slowest road movieFSRS " [More]

Road to Nowhere
by HairyLime in HairyLime Blog

is neutral about it.

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"Odd little road movie that I watched out of curiosity after seeing Grindhouse a couple weekends ago. Thank goodness for Warren Oates, he added a much needed dose of interest to contrast the wooden acting and pointless dialog of James Taylor and the other principals of the film (some prime examples: "I need to check the pistons" -- "you're going to need a new carbourator" -- etc etc). There are a few scenes here and there which pique your interest and mistakenly give the impression that something interesting is going to happen soon, but don't be fooled. Like Taylor's souped up Chevy project car, it makes a lot of noise, it goes pretty fast, but ultimately it is headed nowhere. Perhaps that's the point. " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

liked it.

1971 was a banner year for existential road movies, as Two-Lane Blacktop and Vanishing Point hit theaters within four months of each other, but Two-Lane Blacktop has stood the test of time as the stronger, more compelling picture. Monte Hellman's deliberate pacing and sharp widescreen framings capture the drivers' wanderlust and obsession with speed with a determined casualness that allows us to look past the cars and into the minds of the men who drive them. The screenplay by Rudy Wurlitzer and Will Corry captures the characters' personal and philosophical sides while also getting their tech talk right. As The Driver, James Taylor has the determined gaze, even if he's not much on dialogue, and Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson is quite good as The Mechanic, half-bright until he starts talking about engines. Laurie Bird is both confounding and charming as the chatty hippie that they pick up along the way, but it's Warren Oates who steals the show, giving one of the finest performances of his career as GTO, a brash braggart whose tall tales change depending on who he's talking to. If Two-Lane Blacktop is a sometimes puzzling film that doesn't reveal all its mysteries on first viewing, Oates' superb performance provides the incentive (and all the reward) you'll need to stick it out to the end. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tags: crosscountry , road , movies , gto , burnout
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