Fast Company

William Smith plays Lonnie Johnson, an aging race car driver, who's sponsor, FastCo Motor Treatment, represented by John Saxon, is about to can him due their quest for a youthful and cheaper image. Claudia Jennings is his long-distance girlfriend in a not wholly original, but fascinating look at the traveling race-car circuit and it's casualties.

This may be the ultimate drive-in feature; part-documentary, part-exploitation puncuated by moments of eerie silence that proves Cronenberg can do anything he wants with any type of material and make it interesting. Strange, lingering scenes of mechanics maintaining vehicles with up-close clinical precision (as well as surreal inside-the-car camerawork) will satisfy Cronenberg's most hardcore fans, as well as the sense of desolation and alienation amongst the highways, broken-down racetracks, and most importantly, the fans and drivers of the Pacific Northwest. This may be Cronenberg's most interesting film, since it's material you would never expect him to tackle, and because it's the least-seen movie in his catalogue. Highly recommended and worth tracking down by any means necessary.

When I go to see a movie, I try not to tear it apart and deduce what "hidden messages" may or may not be in it. This movie is plainly and simply an excellent movie about a drag racing team and the wrongs dealt them from their sponsor's track rep, and the interesting way they get even with him. The script and dialogue are the most accurate portrayal of the sport that I have seen yet...the producer/writers obviously knew their stuff and have actually *been* to a dragstrip, not merely "speculated" about one.

Highly recommend this movie as one of the "must see"'s for those who are a fan of the sport, or who are even curious to get a taste for it. (This coming from a gal who "grew up on the track".)

Stuck between "Scanners" and "The Brood", "Fast Company" is quite a strange movie among David Cronenberg's filmography. Apparently giving away his ambitious and usual themes, Cronenberg makes a pure entertainment, very close to Burt Reynolds' universe ! So what happened? Cronenberg's attachment to this film leads us to think it could be hiding something deeper. And in fact, one of the main Cronenbergian obsessions is the subject of the film : the car races are a metaphoric expression of "the re-building of the human body by technology". Is the movie any good ? Well, for a Cronenberg fan, it's quite interesting. Others should watch a REAL Burt Reynold movie !

The famous drag racer Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson (William Smith) is the star of the Fast Company, managed by the corrupt Phil Adamson (John Saxon) Lonnie is the mentor of the promising funny car racer Billy 'The Kid' Brocker (Nicholas Campbell). When Adamson makes a deal with Lonnie's competitor Gary 'The Blacksmith' Black (Cedric Smith), he takes the funny car from Lonnie and Billy. But they decide to steal the car and run independently in the next race. But Adamson intends to use any means to stop Loonie.

"Fast Company" is an incredibly dull film by David Cronenberg. The film is indicated only for fans of this great director that want to know his complete filmography and fans of drag racing. This film is the last one for the gorgeous Claudia Jennings that ironically died in a car accident in the same year. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Escuderia do Poder" ("Motor-Racing Team of the Power")

Fast Company (1979) is an interesting film by David Cronenberg. He took a departure from his clinical horror films and made a quasi mainstream film dealing with hot rods and the sleazy sideshow aspect of them. Unlike most films of this genre, Cronenberg takes a look at the shady business that the promoters of the drivers do to try a make a buck whenever they can. Most times at the expense of the driver's safety and welfare. I wasn't expecting much from this movie but I was quite surprised at the results. All-American tough guy William Smith plays the lead whilst John Saxon co-stars as his shady promoter/ manager.

In the hands of any other director, this movie wouldn't have been that watchable. But Cronenberg works with what he has and creates a visually appealing movie. The inside shots of the driver was very well done. In some scenes the driver looks as if he's part of the machine! The camera catches the action and you can feel yourself being dragged along at 200 plus miles an hour. The film follows these drivers as the go from one small town to another performing in front of small crowds. This movie neither glamorizes or denegrate the "sport". It just documents it.

Like I said in the beginning, I wasn't expecting much (maybe because this movie wasn't widely released if at all in the U.S.A.) but I was surprisingly pleased with the end results. I would have to recommend this film for Cronenberg and William Smith fans.

B+