A rarely seen film. James Taylor's first of only two cinematic film roles.

Two-Lane Blacktop is an allegory which can be viewed superficially as a B-film road movie, or something much deeper than that; the reviews on IMDB lend a clue. Some people get it, some people don't. To be sure, it's not a film for everyone, but if you're an American who grew up in the car culture and you have a love of cinema, I recommend this film without reservation; a meditative glimpse of an America now gone.

The Beach Boy's Dennis Wilson, Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, Alan Vint, and the tragic Laurie Bird.


Hot rod driver: Let's make it fifty.

The Driver: Make it three yards motherfucker and we'll have an auto-mo-bile race.



Link to Bitchute for full-screen viewing

This message has been edited. Last edited by: parabellum,

Yes.

Thanks for posting.

Saw it when it came out.

Going to watch it.

The right movie with the right people at the right time. As the target audience then, it seemed to bridge what had been and what was now. It didn't have everyone talking, it should have. Thanks for the reminder.

Great movie, think I'll watch it again, lot of cool car cult movies, Corvette Summer, Bullit, Crazy Larry Dirty Mary, ride along with Kowalski in Vanishing Point, the original Gone in 60 Seconds, French Connection, The California Kid, if you are a fan of Robert Mitchem - Thunder Road... oh yeah American Graffiti had the 55

Two Lane Blacktop left impressions on gear heads from several decades, you didn't have to be born into the time of gassers to fall in love with a BadAss 55 Chevy.

Example of a modern day gear head hell bent on recreating the car is Mike Finnegan part of the Roadkill Tv pair, Finnegan fell in love with it from the movie, then bought a 55 shell and built an 8 second gasser called Blashemi. Lots of images, details and video at the link.

In Case anyones interested ina modern day 55 Gasser heres a link

Link

I loved that movie.
Haven't thought about it since I was 20 or so when a buddy brought over the vhs to watch because it was rumored to have the same 55 as American Graffiti.

Yes!

Since the pandemic-quarantine started, I've been watching every driving/road movie I can and ranking/cataloguing my reviews on the movie review site Letterboxd. I've now watched over 930 driving movies and Two-Lane Blacktop is ranked at #5 out of all those.

After seeing this, I could never seem to take Warren Oates seriously again.

I had a flat black 55 Chevy just before the movie came out. Huge James Taylor fan at the time and took my squeeze to the outdoor drive in to see it. What memories! I remember when the film ended by the film melting. Everybody was like wtf??

"That Plymouth had a hemi and a Torque-Flite."

Sure appreciate the website link to watch this full-screen on tv. Harry Dean Stanton in a small role. I’ve looked for this movie for a long time. Thanks, para

Thanks for posting the movie, watched it this morning and really enjoyed it.

I was not aware of this movie, I appreciate the info and will give it a watch for sure.

Great movie!
I saw it at the drive in.
Me and the girl friend in my old 62 nova with a big cam 301.
Loved that old Chevy Muncie whine in the 55.
Warren Oates just about crappin his pants when he was riding shotgun in the 55 and he put the hammer down. “What are you trying to do, blow my mind”? Just a classic line right there!

Thanks for posting this, Para. I added it to my video bookmark to maybe watch this evening, or the next raing day.

That movie is highly regarded in classic muscle car circles, but I've never watched it. I'll have to check it out, thanks for posting.

Haven't seen it in years, but I loved it way back when.

Thank you Para…it took me back in time when my girlfriend (a little later my fiancé, best friend and wife) saw it at the Bankhead Drive In…we also saw Vanishing Point at the same Drive In (car movies/cool actors seemed to be gaining in popularity in 1971…but seemed to Peter out quickly )…it’s been over 40 years since I drove past the Bankhead Drive In on my way to the Southern Railway’s Inman Yard (this is the only area that I was actually shot at…the round actually skipped off my windshield leaving a running semi spiderweb crack behind…never saw the shooter, but it scared the flying fuck out of me, and from that time on I went the long way around to work from Austell at night)…but it was a source of good movie memories…but it was the beginning of a new chapter in metro Atlanta and I do remember the movies and the times when it was all good in that area

Thank you for posting this. I had never even heard of this movie until I read this post. I watched it and I had a great experience. The movie is not ever boring, but has a lot of layers to it. I found it enthralling. But I like different type movies.
I was born in 1970...grew up in the seventies...and this film was really good.

It is getting harder and harder to watch fundamental Americana driven by individualism and self determination, disappear from our daily lives.

Old movies and music bring it back in a heartbeat.

But then left with that sadness knowing some will never experience such wonders.

Notice that none of the characters have names. They have only roles- The Driver, The Mechanic, The Girl, etc.

I would be very surprised to learn that Walter Hill's 1978 film The Driver was not influenced in this respect by Two-Lane Blacktop.

Hill's film treats characters the same way- The Driver, The Detective, The Player, The Connection, etc.


**edit**

Oh, hey, whadda ya know? Here it is.

Let's call this one neo-noir. I think it fits the bill.



Link to Bitchute for full-screen viewing