Runaway Car

Yes it's a badly-made movie. The acting and script are poor, and it has got the worst continuity error I've ever witnessed - watch the car hood. The black character is from some lousy Starsky episode. I first saw the movie on tv late-night. I wanted to get to bed but ended up watching it all the way through. When I saw it again I taped it and showed it to my 8-year old daughter. She came out of the room shaking and crying as a result of the baby-jeopardy-helicopter moment. (The only movie moment I can ever remember producing this effect in her). The damn thing's enjoyable. I find this with other "bad" movies. Somehow, the effect of knowing it's cheap and has no big stars can lead to a more relaxed honest enjoyment. As someone else said, watch it with a few cans.

Look, although we don't like to admit it, we've all have to suppress our fears concerning the extreme likelihood of experiencing the events that take place in this movie. You know: you get into your car and you immediately start thinking,"Gosh, I hope today isn't the day that my accelerator sticks at a comfortable cruising speed of 55 mph, all four door latches break in the locked position, both my main and emergency brake fail, my ignition switch can't be turned off, and I've got a full tank of gas; all simultaneously." Fortunately, for most of us, our Thorazine kicks-in before we actually decide that it's a bad idea to be driving a car. Not so for the makers of the harrowing, white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat (if only in preparation to leave the room) action juggernaut, "Runaway Car" But they go ahead and drive anyway!

I am endlessly pleased to have found (thanks to the imdb) that this movie is real, and that I didn't merely dream it.

This movie is, at the very least, one of the fantastic sights you will see on your journey to find the El Dorado of Very Bad Cinema.

I highly recommend it.

This very poor, ultra-low budget car chase movie which is meant to be a knock-off of Speed stars Judge Reinhold in what he'd later to go to say was one of the worst films he ever starred in.

This TV movie has a lady who goes to get her car repaired by a dodgy mechanic and gets a car with the brake lines cut and the accelerator has now got a mind of its own and now travels over a 100mph (although its more like 30).

There are some good dramatic scenes, but they are all made laughable by the constant cutting to scenes of cops sweating or radio DJs sweating or other people sweating to yet another "near miss"...

Anyhow during the film the chasing radio and TV channels ask their viewers to come up with ideas on how to stop a runaway car...

The police can't think of one good idea of stopping the car.

There's tons of ideas they could have used. For example, they could have: 1) Popped the tyres 2) Jack the back of the car up with a pickup truck so it couldn't move 3) Use the water canisters they have on American freeway intersections and place them infront of the car - the water can slow down a car. 4) Put the car into reverse / Use the handbrake? 5) Drive the car into an airport and make it go around in circles until they run out of fuel...

But I think the pinnacle of how dumb this movie was, was when Mr Reinhold went on to query why they didn't just turn off the engine.

A pointless TV movie.

Rating: 2/10.

This film was great.

The plot was preposterous.

The action sequences contrived.

But, provided you can lighten up enough to laugh, it was a throughly thrilling romp combining Keystone Cops and the Lone Ranger.

The baddies were more silly than bad. The good guys weren't too good. The black actors played normal characters rather than black stereotypes.

The inclusion of a baby added a good touch. Sympathy might have been a little difficult otherwise.

I have to disagree about the acting. It was, on the whole, very good. I really wanted to punch Judge Reinhold.

And, after all, isn't that the mark of a really good movie, wanting to punch Judge Reinhold?

Allegedly based on a true story, Siemaszko is a nurse having second thoughts about her career when she finds herself heading down the freeway with Judge Reinhold (in his most embarrassing screen appearance) and another dude, when her Rambler Hornet decides to drive itself!

Allegedly travelling at 100 MPH (which is more than 170 kph) we are treated to numerous external scenes where it is obvious the car is going no more than 30 or 40 mph. A baby in the besieged compact is winched to safety...something they could have done one hour earlier! The suspense is laughable, the effects worse, and the ending - missing! Why did no-one think to rip out the back seat, crawl into the trunk and puncture the gas tank or pour some water/soft drink into it??

Ultimately, the car crosses a bridge, falls off a road at about 30 mph and the credits roll! No explanation tendered for anything! About the same level as PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE except THAT was a classic movie!