| | | Their world is a two-lane blacktop... no beginning... no end... no speed limit!
Features: DVD
In this controversial and acclaimed story of drag-racing drifters, the drivers of a Pontiac GTO and a '55 Chevy battle across the backroads of America for possession of each other's "pinks" and the affections of a mysterious young hitchhiker. Featuring top hits by The Doors and Kris Kristofferson, the film roars across a landscape of unexpected turns and startling twists. Two-Lane Blacktop is directed by cult legend Monte Hellman (director of The Shooting and Cockfighter and executive producer of Reservoir Dogs) from a screenplay by Rudolph Wurlitzer (Pat Garrett & Billy The Kid), and features unforgettable performances by Warren Oates (The Wild Bunch) as well as singer/songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys' Dennis Wilson in his first--and only--acting role.
"Warren Oates [gives a] galvanizing portrayal of the speed freak con artist..." J. Hoberman, Village Voice
"...one of the most ambtious, interesting American films of the year." Time
"Our nomination for movie of the year." Esquire
Editor's Note
Cult film director Monte Hellman follows up his legendary westerns THE SHOOTING and RIDE IN THE WHIRLWIND with another bona fide classic, this time set on the paved highways of early 1970s America. Making their acting debuts, musicians Dennis Wilson and James Taylor play a pair of drag-racing drifters who battle against willing competitors all along the back roads of America, encountering a wild cast of characters. After stopping for lunch one afternoon, Taylor (The Driver) and Wilson (The Mechanic) discover a young woman in their back seat (Laurie Bird, credited as (The Girl). The newly formed trio continues to head east, and places a risky bet with Warren Oates after bumping into each other at a gas station. The first automobile to arrive in Washington D.C. is the winner. The prize: the loser's car (Taylor and Wilson drive a 1955 Chevy, while Oates pilots a 1970 Pontiac GTO). Strangely enough, rather than turning into a relentless fight to the finish, none of the participants seem too worried about picking up the pace. In fact, they act as if they're afraid of reaching their destinations, spurning an endless series of sidetracks that turns Hellman's film into a broad existential metaphor and cementing its place as one of 1970s Hollywood's bravest motion pictures.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | Talent Bios | | Monte Hellman: American Auteur Directed By George Hickenlooper | | Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs | | Theatrical Trailer | | Audio Commentary With Director Monte Hellman And Associate Producer Gary Kurtz |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Anchor Bay |
| Release Date: 10/19/1999 |
| Running Time: 103 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1971 | | Catalog ID: 10937 | | UPC: 00013131093797 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | USA Today
"...What the movie has is a feel for the road and out-of-the-way restaurants and gas stations matched by few others..." 10/15/1999 p.10ETotal Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "As a study in obsession and emotional dislocation TWO-LANE BLACKTOP is in a class of its own." 07/01/2007 p.134 New York Times
"Mr. Hellman films the flat, empty landscapes with his eyes on the horizon line, as if he were John Ford following a wagon train on its way west." 12/18/2007 Sight and Sound
"Hellman and screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer keep it as stripped down as almost anything in contemporary European art cinema -- it's both abstract and concrete." 03/01/2008 p.98 TV Guide Online 8 of 10
... perhaps director Monte Hellman's finest film... Hellman...brings to life characters desperately searching for meaning. Oates...is magnificent...bringing a perfect blend of comedy, mystery, and pathos to his role. It is a powerful and memorable screen appearance...
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