I'd never even heard of Vanishing Point until it was referenced in Deathproof (and isn't great that Tarantino is now footnoting his influences right in the movie, rather than making you go and search for them).
The movie is nothing but a car chase -- Kowalski (Barry Newman) is delivering a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco and when a cop tries to pull him over he just doesn't stop. He just keeps on driving, listening to Super Soul (Cleavon Little -- the black sheriff from Blazing Saddles) on the radio. And meeting up with various freaks along the way. So it's just a car chase, unless it's also a mystical journey into the heart of America. Or something. It was the '70s, man.
I have to say I found the whole film strangely engrossing. Just be careful if you do go looking for it that you don't accidentally end up with the 1997 Fox made-for-tv-movie version. Unless you're really into Viggo Mortensen.
FuzzyCo grade: A
kristen
shaun and i really want to see the original and shaun accidentally instead purchased the viggo version, which we never watched because we were scared of the dvd cover.