Transcript
Speaker: hello everyone And welcome back to another episode of... The long running. Certified Jarvis Podcast. Today, we're talking about The 1971. Classic.
Speaker: or overrated cult classic. vanishing point. And always. I'm Steven Jarvis. That is.
Speaker: What's my name again? Oh yeah, Alyssa Jarvis. She does it every time and it's not funny. Um... And like I said today, we are talking about Vanishing Point. Which if some of you don't know of vanishing points About a boy.
Speaker: With the car. And it's a love story. That ends with a fucking bulldozer.
Speaker: Pretty much it. But all love stories begin and end with a bulldozer.
Speaker: And to that end. We are. Talking about. A forgotten masterpiece? or overrated cult classic that is still saved by nostalgia. Alyssa.
Speaker: When you first watched Vanishing Point, What did you think of this movie? Did you think it was a forgotten masterpiece? Or do you think? it's overrated And that.
Speaker: nostalgia factor is still keeping it afloat to this day.
Speaker: I don't think it lands. in either category of my My opinion. Because I think it is.
Speaker: It is a good movie for... just pure action with very little a story behind it. per se.
Speaker: but At the same time.
Speaker: it It definitely... kind of Goes towards that. cult classic as well. Um.
Speaker: Just because it...
Speaker: Honestly, just... follows a car. throughout the entire movie while the car and the man. Or boy, as you put it. Throughout the entire movie. and didn't really build a story behind it at the end of the day.
Speaker: And movies with stories without stories typically. Don't necessarily last So it leads me to think that it... it really only has a cult following kind of.
Speaker: movie If that makes sense. Yes, i I do agree. Um. And I do say that, you know... I think it is forgotten.
Speaker: I think in the echelons of the great car chase movies of its time, Bullet. Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry. Uh. Gone in 60 seconds.
Speaker: The seven ups. French connection. All those great car chase movies back in the day. to live and die in LA. Um... so many other great ones.
Speaker: It's just. I feel that vanishing point. is in both categories. um I think nostalgia has kept it going.
Speaker: Um... The only bad thing is. is like i said And like you even said, you know it didn't have much of a story going for it. I mean, neither did Bullitt. But what saved a bullet was that car chase.
Speaker: Um, In this movie... I don't even think the car chase saves it. I think it was just one of those movies that was supposed to go into a drive -in, and as soon as it was done with the drive -in...
Speaker: People went on to something else. Although the lead actor, Barry Newman. This was his biggest hit as. a film star. He was pretty much a a TV actor.
Speaker: That. Literally got the role of a lifetime. And... It literally went nowhere for him. um Which is sad. I think Barry Newman... as Kowalski in this movie was a really good choice.
Speaker: Although... If Steve McQueen would have been available, I think putting him in this movie would have probably given it a little bit more star power. Because again...
Speaker: It's the car. That's the star. Just like what happened in Gone in 60 Seconds. You don't really recognize. The whole movie. but you remember Eleanor.
Speaker: And. I remember... talking to you about what we felt this movie was kind of about. And I think it's kind of. The...
Speaker: Sixties. Kind of saying, hey, you know. We're now in the 70s. We're a little bit. Older in a new decade and.
Speaker: Kowalski is that guy that... He's not ready to conform. from what he remembers. And you know... we're we're instilled with flashbacks to Kowalski's life before he becomes a car salesman, before he leads.
Speaker: the cops on this Amazing chase. um Almost endless chase. Yeah. And I mean... the The tagline is...
Speaker: The beginning. The chase. The end. that That is the tagline. And it fits the movie. It does. It does. Because...
Speaker: You get the beginning. Then you get the chase throughout the whole movie. leading to the end where he dies by crashing into a bulldozer. And a lot of people were like, why did this happen? Um, There's many fan theories. behind it Um...
Speaker: And me and Alyssa were going to answer. what our theory is behind him crashing into the bulldozer at the end. But, um... To set the scene a little bit. Kowalski is a car salesman.
Speaker: Which back in the day You did drive the car to... whichever state. that the person was in which would have been fun back in the day for me because i love driving But...
Speaker: Kowalski is also... and addicted or addicted to drugs he he keeps staying awake by using speed And... He makes a bet with his dealer. that hey if i make it to san francisco by i think it's Saturday or Sunday.
Speaker: I think it was Sunday. Yeah. bad. the the drugs would be like half off or whatever. And so he takes off in this. Beautiful. 1970 or 71. I almost said Chevy Nova.
Speaker: Dodge Challenger, white. And... He... is going to deliver this to San Francisco. Um... Along the way, he meets some very interesting characters. um He outraces a guy in a Porsche. but The guy tries to force him. Off the road.
Speaker: but instead the Porsche goes off the road. and kowalski while being chased by the police. Gets out. to check on the guy to make sure he's okay and and that's the thing about kowalski It's almost like a guy on the ragged edge. But he still has that love for. people.
Speaker: And we do get flashbacks from before he became the car salesman. um He was in the military. He was a cop at one point. he wasn't and He was a racer.
Speaker: He was a motorcycle racer. He was a car stock car racer. Um. And then we find out. About his wife. And that he was married at one point, but I think she had. Cancer or drowned.
Speaker: Um. I don't remember. You just find out that Kowalski... is just... He's kind of fed up. You know, he's... he he's that last remnant of a bygone era that Love to... you know, have some drugs, love to have free love and... you know he's he's pretty much on the ragged edge. He's burnt out.
Speaker: And. You know, he is guided by a blind um dj Supersound And... He goes through the desert, through the police.
Speaker: during a police chase and He literally. Um...
Speaker: goes on a spiritual journey of what his life has been what he's doing with his life and I think it kinda was. like I had talked with Alyssa about.
Speaker: is that... The reason why he crashes at the end of the movie is because he's unwilling to conform to what the 70s are. And it's no longer that free love. rock and roll hippie dippy.
Speaker: 60s. that he loved. It's now the 70s where. It's a new era. He's afraid of that change. And that's why he kills himself at the end.
Speaker: I think that's what it was. I don't think it's that he saw.
Speaker: um glimmer of light or hope. that you know he was going to get past them. Them fucking bulldozers. I think it was.
Speaker: He was just to that point where. He burnt himself out and... He didn't want to conform. He didn't want to get caught. And...
Speaker: He would rather have died than get caught. He wanted that freedom. that he really loved. And that's what that chase, in my opinion, symbolizes. is that It was him fighting the oppression.
Speaker: Of. conforming when he still wanted to be a free person. In his mind.
Speaker: What says you, Alyssa?
Speaker: I. I think. Maybe more simply.
Speaker: the The reason that... Instead of. Okay. going around the bulldozers i think he figured There just was no...
Speaker: in No way he was going to win this. And like you said, I think he just didn't. One, didn't want to go to prison over it. And two,
Speaker: I think it was maybe like a mixture of. Maybe he was just so... So tired. and and being on drugs for that long.
Speaker: it end. Can mess with you your brain and it can mess with your your thought processes and it can mess with your decision making. So. more simply.
Speaker: I'm thinking it was maybe just a simple case of
Speaker: He just... didn't make a decision fast enough to be able to
Speaker: avoid the bulldozers, if that makes sense. I don't think he was trying to. Because he smiles.
Speaker: Like, you watch that scene, he's not slowing down, and when he's he he had to see them. And he smiles. Not for one moment does he think like, oh, shit, I got to.
Speaker: You know. I got to. figure this out. Like he smiles. So I think he was ready. I think his he was just tired. of Having to live. And I think the speed.
Speaker: What kept him going and living was... you know he was always on the run he was always Okay. You delivered this car. What's on in the next car?
Speaker: where's Where's my next journey? He he wouldn't sleep. And I think him sleeping was his... i his Prison. Because he would think about, you know.
Speaker: His time as a cop and how that ended. His time as... with his wife. And he just got to that point. point where it wasn't worth living anymore.
Speaker: And his salvation was death. I mean, the dude literally smiles. While he's driving towards his death. And maybe that's his...
Speaker: Other reason is maybe... Maybe he was at the point where he's. just so over his life and Maybe he want. wanted to see his wife again.
Speaker: Oh definitely. Was. ah he He wanted to reunite with his wife and maybe that's why he was smiling because he knew that He wouldn't make it.
Speaker: Once you... Collided with thee. bulldozers there was no way he's surviving that fucking crash Right. and And he knew that. And I think maybe that's why he smiled because he knew he was going to go see his wife now.
Speaker: Yeah. I think... he He literally committed suicide. You know rather YouTube likes us saying that. or not. He did. Like he would. pete he killed himself because He drove right into the fire. Bulldozers like there was no surviving that shit.
Speaker: And yes, in the remake, they did. which is so stupid why they've ever remade this. movie to begin with. they had the reasoning being that he lost his wife to childbirth in the remake.
Speaker: And it's like, really? okay and you you Okay, you simplified what the original was. You gave him a purpose to do it. It was so stupid.
Speaker: Like, and i I'll never watch the remake. because it just the premise of it sounded stupid. But like, this movie... The reason why I will say... it's a forgotten masterpiece is because it's something that it was so simple of a movie.
Speaker: And I think that's what kills it over time and why you don't see it on. TV as much anymore. is because Again. It was so simple back then.
Speaker: That it's not in the upper echelons like a bullet or like this. seven ups or To live and die in L .A. or. Gone in 60 seconds. like It was just one of those movies that... was here and then it's gone.
Speaker: Um. And that's not a bad thing. Um. Car chase movies had their shelf life. I mean, fuck, Bullet was boring up until the car chase.
Speaker: and And that's sad saying it because Steve McQueen was such a talented actor. It's just. There was no story to it. And that happened in a lot of cards.
Speaker: chase movies back in the day because people were thinking of well we could Sprinkle bullshit and then bam, car chase. And that's where... you know we'll get the people in and and it did work it worked for bullet it worked for the fr well i can't say the french connection because that that did have a literal story to it.
Speaker: But it happened with the 7 -ups. It happened with... um Vanishing Point. It happened with... um Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, I can't throw that in there either.
Speaker: Because again, that had a story. Granted. Small story, but... It worked. Um, It's just... I think Vanishing Point just fell into that realm of One, it couldn't find its target audience.
Speaker: And two. You would have other movies like Smokey and the Bandit that were also. trying to sell a car. That's... being the Pontiac Trans Am, that Pontiac almost...
Speaker: got rid of had it not worked out. Um, And. I just... I think Vanishing Point came out.
Speaker: When? People had seen Bullet. And thought. Damn. That was a great movie. And vanishing point is. Didn't capture that essence.
Speaker: You know, and and it's sad. Because, I mean, Barry Newman gave a... really damn good. performance. You also had... Dean Yager in this movie.
Speaker: Or Jagger, I think his name is. um You also had Cleavon Little. in this movie So, I mean, you you had some...
Speaker: known movie stars in this it's just i think where it lacked was Barry Newman I think if. and And that's not, again, I'm not shitting on the guy. It's just.
Speaker: People wanted to see. Clint Eastwood. People wanted to see... Later on, Burt Reynolds, they wanted to see. Steve McQueen in that role, I'm sure, of you know, they wanted to see.
Speaker: A star. And I think that's what happened with this movie is that. It didn't really make Barry Newman a star. he was a television star And.
Speaker: good, bad, or otherwise, I think that's where he was destined to be. Hey Kyle, how are you doing today, buddy?
Speaker: We are doing well. It's just been a hell of a week with work. I'm ah glad the week is over. Tomorrow, me and Alyssa are going bowling. I want to go see the new Godzilla movie. but if she ain't gonna go see it with me then Unless one of our friends says, hey, I'll go see it with you then. Then I'll go see it. put I'll probably just wait until it comes out.
Speaker: Um... But yeah, I just... Vanishing Point is...
Speaker: I don't want to say if it's overrated, but it... Yeah. I mean it is. It's a It's a forgotten masterpiece, but it's also overrated because. Nostalgia has kept it.
Speaker: Our parents have kept that. Movie Alive. I mean, I've seen it because my dad knew about it. Just like with Bullet. Just like with... The original Gone in 60 Seconds. Um...
Speaker: It just...
Speaker: And that's really sad because I love those type movies. But at the same time, it just. it It just didn't find its audience.
Speaker: And. I think that's what Killed the movie.
Speaker: right at At the end of the day, if a movie doesn't find its audience, it's... It's just not going to last long term. And it will. be a forgotten movie.
Speaker: yeah and so like you i i think of it falls in in both categories because there is a small a small following still But it is mostly forgotten.
Speaker: At the end of the day. Yeah. And it's again, not a bad film. It's just... No. Ouch. It happened so fast.
Speaker: that you don't have that time to kind of Relax. Figure. What's going on? before it's over. and and I don't know. I think that may have been the director, the writer of the movie's point.
Speaker: With the name Vanishing Point, maybe. But I mean, at the same time, it's just. It's not a slow burn. It just. It takes you on the ride and then.
Speaker: Boom, it's over. So... Yeah. where It takes you into the car chase immediately. And that car chase lasts the entire movie. Yep.
Speaker: And that's the... Again, that's the sad thing. I mean they could have fleshed out a better story. um There was quite a few. instances in this movie that I would have loved to have seen more of. There's a lot of instances that I didn't want to see more of.
Speaker: And like. hidden easter eggs like when he runs into that girl who's naked on the bike. Like.
Speaker: When she's like, I've... I've followed you ever since the cop thing. It's almost like she was the one that. He saved.
Speaker: from being raped. When he was a cop. Maybe. I mean... Hey. even when he calls his drug dealer to say, hey, you know what, I think i'm not gonna make San Francisco I think our deal is dead.
Speaker: um The drug dealer, he says, you know, you're in the paper. and it even mentions Your wife. Like, i I think that to him kind of was just...
Speaker: he He became what he wanted to be. In the movie. And I think that was the great. folk hero whatever it was and He died that way.
Speaker: you know a lot of people probably didn't want to see that happen in that movie but I think the mystique. is what kind of hooked me on the movie.
Speaker: is you you want You want to have a reason why he does what he does? But. That's what makes him who he is. He has no reasoning behind that. And...
Speaker: He really. doesn't. care. enough to kind of tell people why he's doing what he's doing. It's just. him in a car.
Speaker: doing what he's normally done. It's just, like Alyssa said, i think I think he did get really... Tired. But at the same time, I think. but When you're not getting enough sleep.
Speaker: And you have speed. involved with that like I think the drug was keeping him going. And when he came off that high. is when Bam! He crashes and...
Speaker: He... he Like I said, he didn't care enough to stop Although in the beginning of the movie it... The beginning of the movie throws you off.
Speaker: Because you see the bulldozers and he... Turns right around and then it goes to the actual beginning of the movie. N. that That's where it was kind of confusing for me because I was like, well...
Speaker: Okay, so there's the bulldozers from the beginning of the movie. Is he going to? quickly do a 180 and then go a different way and get caught or what? and it just Yeah, there's not enough story.
Speaker: to comprehend why he did what he did. Right. And well, here's here's another theory about... it Why? why he did what he did.
Speaker: so you you have mixed in that he's tired He's on drugs. His wife is gone. What if it was...
Speaker: That. Because he was so tired. He was. hallucinating on the drugs seeing his wife and Maybe that's why he's smiling because he's seeing his wife again.
Speaker: And.
Speaker: don't actually see the bulldozers because he's In that. hallucinogenic state.
Speaker: Yeah. I mean he A lot of people also. their eyes that he sees. sunlight in between the bulldozers so that he's kind of maybe thinking there is a chance that he's going to get by them.
Speaker: But again, it's just...
Speaker: And honestly, I don't think we as the viewers need to know why he drives into him at the end. I think that kind of... is the selling point But at the same time, it's it's kind of like you want to know.
Speaker: Because I'm right. He just smiles and then that's it.
Speaker: And... I think like I said, I think he just. got to the point where he was so burnt out that He didn't care anymore.
Speaker: And... It was a stupid way to end the movie. i mean the wow factor of him doing that was Okay, I get it. But at the same time, like, it was just...
Speaker: I don't know Gone in 60 seconds. had such a better chase scene than this. um And again, this is independent filmmaking at its finest.
Speaker: Um... And I think that's what kind of saved it too, but word of mouth. very much very well saved vanishing point back in the day but nowadays it's just you rarely hear about the movie Unless you.
Speaker: catch it by circumstance. And. I watch it Religiously, I think it's a great movie. But... At the same time, I just I think if it was from an unbiased lens, like if I would have not been shown it by my dad.
Speaker: I think I would be like the most majority of the people where it's just like. Hmm. It's another movie.
Speaker: and Which is sad, because you know one day when... I do. you know lose my dad one day Um. i look back on these movies as like hey you know this was me and him talking about a car movie and Um,
Speaker: I think it's just one of those things that. it It'll get passed down. When we have kids, I'll show them the movie. Maybe when they're older. But, um...
Speaker: I don't know, I just... Maybe it... when they're old enough that they can process things a little bit more. watch we show them that movie they've instantly become like car maniacs and all that or car junkies Bye.
Speaker: Yeah. that's I... the you know, I think that's mainly what the movie is about is just. You get pushed so far.
Speaker: And then you hit your vanishing point. Maybe that's what it's all about. All right. Maybe. um And... Yeah I don't think there's much more you can say about this review.
Speaker: other than That's probably it Um... We will be back. Good movie. there's not much here but Um...
Speaker: I can't even really rate the movie because, again, it's... It's just one of those movies that It happened. And. You know, it was a very good movie for its time.
Speaker: But at the same time, i I think it's just it's being forgotten because.
Speaker: It... Eh. It's almost like Hollywood doesn't want people to remember it. Yeah. N. that They're willing to bury it, but yet if you go on...
Speaker: Amazon, you'll find the movie. And if you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth buying it. And watching it. It's just... You're going to come to the conclusion that.
Speaker: Yes. For its time, it was a classic. but Maybe it has become. oversaturated.
Speaker: and I still will love the movie. until probably the day I die. but That's just me. Um.
Speaker: We will be. Live again next Friday. we're we're trying to track down or we're trying to Hammer. And another guest for next Friday, maybe even.
Speaker: See if we can do one. Sometime during the week or next weekend. I know I got to do something for work next weekend too so It's kind of going to be hit or miss. Um.
Speaker: Maybe we'll do. lethal weapon. review i don't think we've done one yet Um, Yeah, no, I don't think we've done it on Lethal. weapon Or we'll figure we'll figure something out for next week. Thank you so very much for watching though. We appreciate the hell out of you. All you.
Speaker: I mean 4 ,000 views on YouTube? Granted, that may be on shorts alone, but you know what? We'll take it. We are so incredibly grateful.
Speaker: We are. humbled by it. We are just like Stephen said, humbled by your support. And all the views on Zencaster and other podcast sites like... 400 and some and counting like Thank you so very much.
Speaker: We... to We wouldn't be doing this without. you know. our audience. And. You know, um... Keep showing that support and we'll keep showing you support. I do know that me and Alyssa have talked about.
Speaker: going back and looking at other independent films. Who knows? We might look at the Billy Jack series. And. If we need more Billy Jack today, I mean now.
Speaker: It would be refreshing. To see another Billy Jack movie. But with Tom. Laughlin not around anymore. I don't think that's going to happen. Um... But we will see you all next Friday.
Speaker: or sometime next week weekend. um We are the Certified Jarvis Podcast. We love you all so very much. I'm Stephen Jarvis. I'm Alyssa Jervis.
Speaker: We're happily married. But yet, we're questionably certified. And... That is it for now. Thank you.
