Kesse Mary - Irrer Larry

I saw this when it came out in 74, I was 19, an appropriate age to best appreciate car chase movies. Also believe I saw it at a drive-in, best place for these flicks. It was a bit strange seeing Peter Fonda, going from the ultimate counter-culture drug hippie in "Easy Rider" to playing a NASCAR driver gone a bit bad, more of a working class hero. Fonda is likeable in the role, Adam Rourke is sympathetic as his mechanic and Susan George plays an obnoxious tramp pretty well. Plus nobody could play a rotten and evil cop as well as Vic Morrow did in this and few other movies. It's fun to catch every few years. And a good lesson at the end-always pay attention to railroad crossings!

Ostensibly a mindless, flashy car-chase-&-crash B-flick has all the usual drive-in elements, but there's more going on here than at first appears. Two NASCAR enthusiasts, needing to buy a new entry vehicle, concoct an elaborate plan to rob a grocery store; Larry is the talent behind the wheel, Deke is the contemplative brains of the outfit. Soon they're saddled with good-time girl Mary, stubborn and sassy, who proves her mettle on a wild ride getting out of town. From Richard Unekis' book "The Chase", with a plot that is exactly that, yet the script by Leigh Chapman and Antonio Santean is surprisingly funny and literate and John Hough's direction is exceptionally tight with very little nonsense. Peter Fonda is appropriately manic, loose and shaggy, and Susan George has fun playing low-class (she has a tough time camouflaging her British accent, but it passes); every time Mary uses her brains, it provides more shading and substance in the character. Adam Roarke is a revelation as accomplice Deke, a sensitive, complicated man with heart and soul; he's not above larceny--he even masterminds it--but he's a thinker, and a realist. This film should have broken Roarke as a star in Hollywood, he is incredibly good. Vic Morrow has the standard role of the lawman on the trio's trail (he plays cat-and-mouse with them, and vice-versa, which is routine) and it's nice to see Roddy McDowall in a non-hysterical role as the supermarket manager. The chases are terrifically charged with adrenaline and excitement, and while the character animosities are trivial, the movie is stylish and wire-drawn. Apparently a big hit with Quentin Tarantino, who used a film-clip in his "Jackie Brown" (and adopted this picture's violent, jokey tone as well). Good show: *** from ****

Yes, DMCL is shot well. Yes, the car chases are great. And yes, if '70's kitch is what you seek, you'll find plenty of it here. But that's not why I love the movie.

The reason I love the movie is this : the characters. I've read other users comments regarding the lack of writing or character motivation, and there is validity to that. But hey, the selling point of the film wasn't an in-depth look at people, the selling point was watching Peter Fonda and Susan George ram their car into several other cars.

But I digress, what I love about the characters (and what I hate about the characters in most action movies today) is that they are totally unlikeable. They even hate each other. Fonda is a complete jerk to everyone. Susan George rhymes with rich and Rorke is weak and ineffectual. Hey, most the time the characters don't like each other. And it's my opinion that these characters are unlikeable by design. Think about it: when was the last time you went to the movies and the main characters were people you were suppose to dislike? Rare is it that modern filmmakers will take that chance, Even more impressive, somehow you end up routing for these people.

Bottom line, it's a good chase movie, with solid performances by two 70's icons in thier prime. If you manage to catch it, you'll probably have a good time.

If you're an aspiring writer/director or just a fan of the cinema? Then you have to watch, "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry". The movie isn't just another 70's Drive-In exploitation car chase flick. It's the 70's Drive-In exploitation car chase flick to end all other 70's Drive-In exploitation car chase flicks that came before it. Movies like Vanishing Point, White Lightening and The Seven Ups.

While films like 'Bullet' and 'The French Connection' set the standard for car chase scenes in urban jungles. It was Vanishing Point that took the car chase across country, and established a brand new 70's genre called the "Car Chase Movie". Like B monster movies from decades past, they were short on plot and even shorter on character development, but long in action packed car chases. It was an entire new genre of its own creation starting in the late 60's with Steve McQueen's 'Bullit', and eventually going out with a bang in the late 70's with films like 'Smokey and the Bandit', followed by early 80's blockbusters like 'The Blues Brothers' and 'Cannonball Run'. The Blues Brothers being probably the best of all the Car Chase movies that combined musical comedy with exciting urban and cross country high octane action car chases and crashes.

While, 'Smokey and the Bandit' and 'The Blues Brothers' were overall far superior movies to the Drive-In exploitation car chase flicks of the early and mid 70's, it's easy to spot that a lot of the great car chase scenes in those later movies were directly inspired by "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry", which were themselves inspired by earlier films like Vanishing Point and Bullet, but later expanded upon in 'Dirty Mary,Crazy Larry'.

That's really the main reason why I believe "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" is a must see flick. It serves as a transitional film from earlier movies that first established the new 70' genre, with some bold improvisation of stunt coordination using the established genre as its foundation, that made 'DMCL' a source of inspiration for later and greater movies. Check it out and see if you agree with this review.

Okay, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry is basically a car chase movie. However, this movie is nicely paced and well crafted for the this genre. Peter Fonda is the focal point as Larry, and he alternates between manic and gloomy, punctuating the action with humorous comments and a devil may care attitude. Adam Roarke as his mechanic/sidekick is the anti-Larry, a guy who is dealing with his own demons and is ready to step in when Fonda's character goes too far. Susan George is the wildcard in this movie. She latches on to Fonda and proves that she is not to be underestimated. The scene-stealer of the movie is Vic Morrow as the sheriff, who produces some of the best lines in this movie. When he gets in the chopper, the pilot says, "I just take orders" and Vic replies "Good, cause I give lots of 'em...let's go!". If this sounds like nothing special, check out this movie and you will see the other element which stands out, the atmosphere. Drawbridges, apple orchards, a small town flea market, dusty roads, big trucks etc. This is no "Dukes of Hazzard" mindless kind of car chase movie. There is a lot of intelligence and humor in the script, and it is well-paced and directed. An enjoyable movie to kill a couple of hours. I never said it was Citizen Kane!