David Cronenberg’s first foray into ‘straight’ filmmaking is at once a warts-and-all love letter to the experience of the drag strip (he’s apparently a petrolhead, go figure), a gritty wannabe conspiracy thriller, and a tacky, sleaze-ball action comedy of the type that was all too common in its era. This was made the same year as The Brood and it rounds out a picture of the director’s, well, not exactly enlightened attitude towards women that certainly tinges his later works in a more sickly light. The stunts are great, though. ★★½
Cross-posted from Letterboxd