Coventry This drive-in/exploitation movie from the almighty producer Roger Corman was filmed during the mid-seventies and takes place in a small town in the deep south. You know what that means, right? It means plenty of wild car chase action, crashes, lone heroes and dumb coppers, gratuitous violence and – of course – a lot of banjo music! But please don't expect another brainless comedy like "Smokey and the Bandit" or a carsploitation classic like "Death Race 2000" or "Cannonball". "Moving Violation" actually has a story to tell and the tone & atmosphere are often quite grim and disturbing. The best contemporary film to compare it with is probably the 1973 flick "White Lightning" starring Burt Reynolds and Ned Beatty. Both titles theoretically qualify as straightforward and undemanding 70's hillbilly car-chasing movies, but there are sober sub plots and characters with depth and background. The cops here might have big sweaty bald heads and clichéd names like Bubba, but they are vicious psychopaths instead of dim-witted losers and don't hesitate to cruelly execute innocent people. The charismatic drifter Eddie and his brand new ice-cream selling girlfriend Camille find themselves in a world of trouble when they accidentally witness how the corrupt Sheriff Rankin kills off one of his deputies because he wasn't satisfied with his share of palm oil. The nasty Sheriff naturally accuses the young couple of the cowardly murder and mobilizes his entire precinct to hunt them down. The virulent chase quickly leads to other counties, but the authorities there are also eager to stop them because they are signaled as cop killers. "Moving Violation" feels very familiar, what with its superficially stereotypical characters and predictable plot, but the scenario holds several surprises in store and manages to remain suspenseful. The chase sequences, which pretty much cover 75% of the running time, are extremely spectacular and adrenalin-rushing. You'll witness the total demolition of approximately 25 vehicles and plenty of other scenery like billboards, gas stations and even entire farmhouses! I have tremendous respect for the very bleak finale that is very atypical for such a movie and that I personally never would have predicted. "Moving Violation" features good roles of Stephen McHattie (still at the beginning of his career), Eddie Albert and the astonishingly beautiful Kay Lenz, but the most memorable roles are for the bad coppers Lonny Chapman and Jack Murdock. B-movie favorite and Roger Corman regular Dick Miller has a brief but remarkable supportive role as the over-enthusiast bounty hunter Mack. Highly recommended for fans of the seventies in general, but particularly drive-in fanatics and Roger Corman admirers.

Woodyanders Scruffy, mischievous smartaleck Detroit drifter Eddie (rangily personable beanpole Stephen McHattie) and his sweet, plucky gal pal Cam (a winning performance by the ever pert and appealing Kay Lenz) witness a murder committed by a growly, profane, corrupt, vicious, irritable, just flat-out no-count and reprehensible cracker sheriff (a stand-out scurvy portrayal by Lonny Chapman). The couple go on the lam; Chapman and his hilariously inept deputies give hot pursuit. While the compact script by David R. Osterhout and William Norton offers nothing new and the story never springs any fresh surprises or novel twists, this film nonetheless still sizes up as a really solid and satisfying affair. In other words, the trite narrative gets redeemed by the briskness and vibrancy of the commendably spirited and unpretentious execution. Directed with galvanizing aplomb by Charles S. Dubin, further energized by Donald Peake's exuberant banjo-plucking, pile-driving country swing score and Charles Correll's splendidly agile, mobile, crisply handsome and polished cinematography, jam-packed with more auto-wrecking, metal-smashing, cars smacking into each other and flipping over in glorious slow motion vehicular carnage than you can shake a rusty tire iron at, and topped off with nice acting from the immensely likable leads, plus nifty cameos by Eddie Albert as a friendly, sympathetic lawyer, Will Geer as a crusty, snappish, nasty old oil baron, and the ubiquitous Dick Miller as one of Chapman's pernicious flunkies, "Moving Violation" tears ahead with such speedy breakneck velocity that it ultimately comes through as a giddy slice of dynamically enthusiastic Southern-fried demolition derby cinema.

jotix100 Not having a clue about this film was about, we decided to take a chance. It was produced by legendary Roger Corman, a man who knew how to pack his films with a lot of action. "Moving Violation" is a film that will not disappoint fans of that genre as there is no let up from the start.The young drifter, Eddie, meets a bored Dairy Queen attendant, Cam, and asks her out. She decides to take him to a secret place where they can access the swimming pool in the estate of the rich Mr. Rickfield. They witness as the corrupt sheriff of the town shoots one of his deputies. That triggers a chase across the state as Eddie and Cam are followed through highways and small towns because they know what the sheriff did. They enlist the help of Alex Warren, an attorney that believes them, but ultimately can't do much for them.Charles Dubbin directed with an eye for the action. Stephen McHattie and Kay Lenz play the couple being chased. Lonny Chapman is perfect as the criminal sheriff and Eddie Albert makes a great Alex Warren.The film is non-stop car chasing and will delight the viewer who doesn't expect anything but just pure action.

lightninboy This is a typical 1970s car chase movie (Eat My Dust, A Small Town in Texas, Vanishing Point, etc.). You might think movies like that aren't worth watching, but they're better than 80% of the stuff they call movies today. This movie shows an airbag being deployed back before airbags became standard in cars. It's a public service movie! And you get to see the top ripped off a car back before Buford T. Justice got the top ripped off his car. And you get to see what happens when you don't put all your lug nuts on tight. People in the 1970s rural America liked these movies because they could relate to the setting and the plot and the cars.