Stingray

With what feels like a semi improvised script, "Stingray" is essentially one long car chase. There are some pretty nice stunts along with the requisite police car destruction, and a few pretty tepid explosions. The cast is likable, the acting not so likable, and there are at least a bunch of laugh out loud moments. For an exploitation film with zero nudity, the rest has to be entertaining, and "Stingray" is fast enough moving that interest is for the most part maintained. I will say that the film didn't end where I thought it would, but getting in some nice St. Louis / Mississippi River footage wasn't that bad a bonus. For an action comedy you could do a lot worse than this drive in low budget effort. - MERK

Since this thought to be desensitized viewer found himself feeling uneasy while watching this forgotten drive-in movie, I can only imagine what viewers back in the more innocent 1970s thought of it. I will say that the St. Louis locations do add an original backdrop. And the movie is professionally made, from the cinematography to the camera-work. But the tone of the movie is all over the map. On one hand, there is a good amount of harsh violence. But on the other hand, there are also plenty of moments when the movie attempts to yuck it up with broad comedy. The movie should have been one extreme or another, not both at the same time. Another turn- off is that there aren't any particularly sympathetic characters, one big reason being that the movie puts more focus on the bad guys rather than the protagonists. If you are simply looking for good action and vehicle work, the movie also disappoints there, with dull chases and uninspired action of other kinds. You'll feel a "sting" in your wallet if you plunk down hard earned dollars to watch this movie.

This regional take on cops vs. Robbers vs. Good guys actually pays off pretty well. Two drug punks kill two men who attempted to set them up on a drug deal. They escape with the money and drugs and are forced to stash it in a Corvette Stingray of all places. Two pals (Al and Elmo) purchase the car and the crooks chase after them, as well as a slew of clueless cops who are trying to make sense of the situation.

Written, edited, and directed by Richard Taylor, this harmless comedy with violent undertones works well thanks to its casting: Christopher Mitchum, Sherry Jackson, Les Lannom, William Watson, Cliff Emmich, and Playboy playmate Sondra Theodore. The car chases are structured rather simply, despite that the film's stunt coordinator was none other than old-timer Carey Loftin. The one-liners, most of them supplied by Watson, are actually pretty funny, as well.

Watch this movie for Sherry Jackson alone. Her performance here as a villain is superb. She steals every scene she is in. Thin plot about some vandals loot being stashed in a classic Corvette. When the unsuspecting new owners drive off in the car the chase is on. Sherry has some classic camp lines: Lighting up a cigarette in an elevator dressed as a nun, she tells a portly man "You got a problem fatso"?? Later in a biker bar, she pours a drink down a man's pants and then sets his crotch on fire! Sherry should have been a huge star in the 70's, she was gorgeous, could play tough or innocent and had tons of charisma! She even drives an EARTHMOVER in this flick. Supporting actors are good but this is Sherry's movie all the way. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

It's a shame that this film is so deathly boring and mind-numbing my repetitive. I love how some of the chase sequences are done; the camera work is exceptional. Sadly the chase scenes all amalgamate into very identical and repetitive sequences. The film is too slow, drags on slower than the useless American cars in the film and should be only 1 hour in length. That being said, the film does have its funny and exciting moments with a strong premise. So, it's a bad film, but is funny and unique with a cult-like appeal. It's worth a Sunday night watch, but never again, unless you want to blow your brains out.