Cannonball! (1976)

Director:

Paul Bartel

Writers:

Paul Bartel (writer)
Don Simpson (writer)

Release Date:

6 julio 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama

Frase comercial:

The annual Trans-American outlaw road race - A cross country demolition derby without rules!

Plot:

This is another story of the secret Coast to Coast auto race across America The only rule is, the first to finish is the winner...

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Automobile Racing | Mafia | Automobile | Road

Comentarios de los usuarios:

New meaning to the term "Put your brain in Neutral"

Cast

David Carradine	...	Coy 'Cannonball' Buckman
Bill McKinney	...	Cade Redman
Veronica Hamel	...	Linda Maxwell
Gerrit Graham	...	Perman Waters
Robert Carradine	...	Jim Crandell
Belinda Balaski	...	Maryann
Judy Canova	...	Sharma Capri
Archie Hahn	...	Zippo Friedman
Carl Gottlieb	...	Terry McMillan
Mary Woronov	...	Sandy Harris, Girl in the Van #1
Diane Lee Hart	...	Wendy, Girl in the Van #2
Glynn Rubin	...	Ginny, Girl in the Van #3
James Keach	...	Wolf Messer
Dick Miller	...	Bennie Buckman
Stanley Bennett Clay	...	Beutell (as Stanley Clay)

También conocida como:

Carquake (UK)

Duración:

Hong Kong:93 min | USA:93 min | Portugal:90 min (TV version)

País:

USA

Idioma:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sonido:

Mono

Clasificación:

West Germany:12 (TV version) | Iceland:16 | Iceland:12 | West Germany:18 (cinema release) | Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | UK:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Harbor Freeway, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Cross Country

Trivialidades:

Both this film and "The Cannonball Run" (1981) were novelized by the same author, Michael Avallone.

Goofs:

Continuity: The damage on the various cars isn't consistent in the film chronology. Most obvious is the scene in which the green Mustang and black Charger are playing demolition derby in the construction site - compare the condition of the Dodge at the end of the battle to when it flies off the overpass.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Unleashing the Beast: Making 'The Howling' (2003) (V)

New meaning to the term "Put your brain in Neutral"

Cannonball.

The movie broken the dam and started a flood of films revolving around illegal coast to coast car races isn't all bad. That is so long as you don't forget its a B grade film. There are even moments during the one and half hours of engine revving running time that you are could be fooled that the film makers had hoped for a for something a little deeper when they fleshed out the script to this masterpiece. The opening sequence, a dream sequence no less, just oozes style and stinks of finesse. It even comes complete with some cryptic voice over and I could have sworn I heard heart beat soundtrack, wow enthralling.

David Carradine plays the titular Cannonball. He's the strong silent type with a dodgy past, he's out to win the Trans American to get his life back on track after spending some time in the slammer for a crime he didn't commit. In what 70's film didn't he play this guy? There's your token bad guy complete with a black Dodge Charger that is looking to do him (being titular Cannonball) in at any cost. Why? Because you can't have a movie like this with out a bad guy.

Made in that 70's dirty 'we couldn't afford to buy better film' style that is normally reserved for Porn films and early sword and sorcery flicks the film makers have covered off all the stereotypes that we have come to know and love from these kinds of movies. We have a European with an exotic car, a couple of girls in a car going fast and wearing little, a ethnic minority character with little luck when it comes to cars or women. The afore mentioned brooding anti-hero good guy type, the maniacal bad guy and a host of token others that matter little to the grand scheme of things, oh and of course more than its fair share of stupid cops.

The real stars of this movie however are the cars, lets be honest it's the only reason this movie was made. A showcase of some of the most popular American and a token European muscle cars ever to make their way on to the road. We have a Dodge Charger, A Ferrari, Trans Am's (must be popular because there are two of them), a Corvette, Mustangs and all the hotted up roadsters you could ever want. They are thrown though their paces but the budget prevented any real fancy camera work to really show them off like some of the movies that follow did. There is some real nice action sequences here that exceed the movie's standing as an the aforementioned 'we couldn't afford to buy better film' and make it memorable even by today's blockbuster standards. Highlights to look for, the massive car pile up on the interstate towards the end and the trashing of the Detomaso Pantera. So as you can imagine there's enough car carnage to make even the most Blues Brother hardened fan giddy with excitement.

To sum up, Cannonball is a bit of Tuesday night fun and to be enjoyed at its best, watched with a few friends and some strong liquor. Don't for get to look for Martin Scorsese and Sylvester Stallone in early cameo roles.