I don't know why Elliot Silverstein's The Car was so critically panned when it was first released. Yeah, I'll admit that it isn't exactly a good film, per say. But it is definitely an entertaining one. The Car is a hybrid of Steven Spielberg's Duel and John Carpenter's Christine. Essentially, the quiet Utah community of Santa Ynez is being stalked by a murderous black coupe with no license plate or driver. Police captain Wade Parent leads a local task force to find the car and destroy it. I can't help but stare in wide amazement at The Car, because for its purely absurd plot, it takes itself deathly seriously. The Car doesn't feel like a cheap exploitation film...at least most of the time. Scenes with Wade Parent's children and girlfriend Lauren carry genuine emotional weight. But those are hardly the scenes that people are going to remember this film for. What people will remember are the deliriously over-the-top and hysterical death scenes. Apparently the Santa Ynez police department fuel their police cars with nitro glycerin, because they have a nasty habit of exploding into giant balls of flame whenever they are lightly tapped by the black coupe. My favorite scene was when the coupe traps a police cruiser on the side of a cliff. The coupe gently nudges the police car over the edge. The police car flips onto its roof and the cabin is immediately engulfed in a cataclysmic fireball. So, yes, The Car is silly and ridiculous. But it was genuinely entertaining. It's not a high piece of art, but then again, I don't think it was ever intended to be.
7/10
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