bmtbird I first watched this film on TBS in about 1988 after classes while in college. I remember being mesmerized and when it was listed to come on again I had a fresh VHS tape and recorded it. I watched it over and over. It is very simply- The. Best. Movie. Ever. Made.

alexanderdavies-99382 It must have been the norm in American 1970s cinema to produce films that had little in the way of plot or meaning and that decent photography and pretty faces was enough to guarantee any kind of box office potential (just like nowadays with films). "Two Lane Blacktop" is such a film. There is absolutely no plot whatsoever for the entire running time. I'm not sure why James Taylor and Dennis Wilson were cast as they clearly aren't actors or capable of projecting any kind of emotion. The same is true of that young lady who provides the love interest. It is Warren Oates as one of the few professional actors in this film, who is worth watching. Indeed, he is the only reason to see this mess at all. There are some cool cars to look at but that can only provide so much entertainment or diversion. Not a success.

tiekbane This is a totally amateur movie, like it was made by high school kids in first year film class. Whereas, perhaps, some existential meaning could be taken from Easy Rider & Vanishing Point, this mess seems to be totally ad-libbed, like they just decided to go to New Mexico, shoot some footage & then splice scenes together. It feels like a home movie. It's as uninspired as the paint job on the car.There are few shots of the countryside. Most of the scenes were filmed in the car, in gas stations & diners and at night.Characters come & go adding nothing to the story. We never learn anything about them, not even their names.There is very little dialog. The main topic of conversation, when there is any, is the car. Dennis Wilson must have checked those points and carburetors about a dozen times. The 'actors' stare blankly into space most of the time. James Taylor has the charisma of a floor jack. It's no wonder he kept his day job.Heck, they even forgot to finish the race.If there is a deep meaning to this flick, it seems to be to always keep your engine properly timed.Give it a try, but don't expect much. This film literally has the soul of a shop manual.

krocheav I remember when this film came out, I liked the title. The film itself was looked upon in the industry as maybe being up for a week or so in the Drive in circuit. How right they were. As an example of how far the quality of movie making had, and was slipping, this is a fair guide.Now, it's getting a few raves from a generation who were brought up on these 'less is more' movies. The 70's have been described by some as one of the poorest eras in film making, they could be right. This films credentials don't stack up very well either. The Director, Monte Hellman was an early collaborator of el-cheapo film maker Roger Corman. Hellman, who's only earlier claim to fame would most likely be two 1966 quickie Westerns, "The Shooting" and "Ride in the Whirlwind" ~ while these were quite watchable, were by no means great movies. 'Two Lane Blacktop' was clearly intended to cash in on the surprise success of "Easy Rider", it's roadside café scene set up to look like a carbon copy, endless roads traveled by drop-outs going nowhere, and minimal story to get in the way or complicate the low cost film making process. I can understand Universal studio chief of the day, Lew Wasserman not wanting anything to do with it, in fact seems he hated it. My wife and I screened the theatrical version, clocking in at 1hr 40min. By around the 55min mark she could no longer stay in the room. Thank heavens Wasswerman forced Hellman to reduce his original 3Hr 30m cut! I doubt anyone would have had the staying power to remain brain numbed for that long.Many are now reading all manor of deep and meaningful insights into these empty characters and their wasted lives. But hey, they chose to be petrol heads 'n speed freaks, to hide from any commitments that would make them responsible for their lives. Any or all moral fiber has been stripped away from their being, they live for the road and any other riff-raff they pick up on the way to the next drag circuit. This is all they want to know or enjoy. The movie even reduces them down to being known as, the driver, the mechanic, and the girl.The only real actor in the cast, Warren Oates is known only as GTO (his car of course ). As the only trained professional he is given the most lines (knowing this interesting, one of a kind actor, he probably made many of them up as he went), what a sad loss he was at only 56. The critic Leonard Maltin sites his performance as worthy of the years Oscar...Where had he been! didn't he see him as Arch, the partner in "The Hired Hand" '71, or as Mr Giddens in Leslie Stevens's curious "Hero's Island" '62, he was even this good as Ves Painter in Leslie Stevens's short lived "Stoney Bourke" series. The GTO character was good, but not that good.Director of Photography: Jack Deerson whose claim to fame was mainly made up of some dreadful el-cheapo porn films, shoots a lot of interiors from fast cars and some scruffy country shots. He does what he can with the very limited, unsubstantial material. One of my favorite performers Harry Dean Stanton, gets wasted in a throwaway role as a queer hitch hiker. The 'Girl' Laurie Bird, plays an ultra loose hippie, went on in real life to take her own life at the ripe old age of 25! This film, and the film making life-style probably did not help her any either. And what happened to Beach Boys drummer Denis Wilson, who went on to 'drown'. So sad. As for that famous ending, almost lifted out of William Castles cheapie "The Tingler" '59...while it looks cleaver, is mostly just another cop-out. A neat way to end the endless. If you like to look for deep meanings in cheap fiction, born out of an era of film making where so many were looking at ways to cash in on the minimalist 'small is big' - then this is the film for you! Anyone looking for more, be warned, it just may not be there.....