Vanishing Point

What made the original Vanishing Point a classic was that everyone was free to read their own meaning into it... or read no meaning at all and just watch the Challenger roar through the desert. What motivates Kowalski? Decipher it from his actions and flashbacks, or just ignore the question entirely. The film is still magnificent either way.

But the studio thought this uncertainty made it too esoteric back in 1971, so it was cut and given a limited release in the expectation of a quick death. But far from vanishing, the original Vanishing Point became recognized as one the GREAT road movies of all time.

This remake shows that Hollywood hasn't changed much. They love remaking a classic (hopefully guaranteeing an audience), but they still think that everything needs to be made both very obvious and very very simple. So they get rid of all the classic elements and turn it into a generic chase movie. They give Kowalski a really REALLY simple, obvious reason for his drive, making his flashbacks and encounters purely superfluous. And being superfluous they are populated with trite two dimensional caricatures... boring fluff that could be disposed of without diminishing this movie at all, slight though it is. This is entirely unlike the original which had interesting, unusual people that added to the story and gave context to the nature and character of Kowalski.

And that clunky, mass market mysticism thrown into the remake? ANY film is better off without that!!!

They also decided to make a federal case out of Kowalski's run... literally. It's not enough that state cops will naturally chase people who run from them (as in the original, and assign a symbolic meaning - or not - to that if you wish). In the remake they pound you again and again with a clumsy blunt-object polemic about the government and militias, with the FBI, ATF etc ultimately all ganging up on Kowalski.

The people who spawned this remake obviously read their own meanings into the original... that's the quality it has that makes it great. But instead of opening up any meanings we might find in their new version for us to discover ourselves, they forced on us that single reading of theirs alone. Unfortunately, that one narrow focus vastly shrank the appeal of the remake to something less than a vanishing point. The end result wasn't worth the wasting of either the Charger or the Challenger, let alone the both of them.

Much has said about the wonderful, original "Vanishing Point"; I finally got to see the TV remake of the 1970 classic...and it was a shame. The original had Barry Newman, who somehow had the unique talent to come across as a guy who'd 'been there and done that'...and survived it all with wit, humor, and integrity as well as fantastic driving skills.

The bozo in this tepid rehash looks like he'd be out of his weight battling a soggy airmail envelope. Most of the time, while driving, he looks as if he's a 12-year-old punk out joyriding his older brother's car...and about to lose control of it, at that.

Even the little technical details were goofy beyond reason. "Jimmy" Kowalski managed to buy a police radio scanner, and somehow it doesn't need an antenna to receive signals. Better yet, since it's a crystal-controlled radio, 'magic crystals' cut for the correct radio frequencies used by cops in FOUR STATES somehow magically install themselves during the asphalt festivities. Better yet, the radio doesn't even stop scanning when a transmission is received!!!

Kowalski was supposed to be a former Army Ranger, and at one point he's in uniform, in front of a Captain who's dressing him down for his being an 'individual'. He's wearing a pair of army jump-wings, which means he's an Airborne Ranger (I guess), but no Combat Infantry Badge, despite being a decorated combat veteran. Interesting.

In short, the numerous flaws of this movie far outweigh its virtues.

On the other hand, the southwestern U.S. looked as lovely as it does in real life. Some nice footage of the area's scenic beauty was most welcome.

They made the point...several times...during this flick that Kowalski wasn't a hero...just an 'ordinary guy' involved in 'extraordinary events'. Well, the REAL Kowalski (Newman) in the original was an extraordinary guy performing extraordinary feats. The big mistake here was trying to give us too much backstory on the mysterious and intrepid Mr. K, instead of letting us fill in the details ourselves.

If you want to see a true American classic...a unique snapshot of early 1970s America, as it were, stay away from this T.V. travesty and watch the original instead.

I'll start by stating that I have not seen the original 1971 "Vanishing Point", yet. I only picked this movie up from the library because the title stood out after I had remembered it mentioned several times in "Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof", and it was the only copy there. No original. So I took a look.

First off the whole religion/spirituality theme underlying the whole movie was very unnecessary and forced. Several people are seen performing the signs of the cross, Kowalski's conversion to Catholicism is very prevalent, and even the doctor he contacts at the hospital his wife is at, is named Nazren. Sounds a lot like Nazarene or Nazareth. So the whole religious side of the film was unnecessary.

The Flashback/Dream sequences were edited very poorly. It takes a second before you realize it's really a flashback/dream because they are edited into the current scene like it's similar scene or parallel moment somewhere else.

And finally the action. I love car chases in film. Movies like Death Proof and Gone in 60 Seconds have amazing car chases, with lots of crashes, side by side collisions, all the fun stuff. This film has some decent car chase sequences but they are split apart too many times to make way for the drama that it really tarnishes the adrenaline rush they should be evoking. Not only that but they are not spectacular. The first few are a bit of a rush because you he has his "mission" and he means to fulfill it. But after a while, with all the stops and drama, the action not only feels less engaging or tense but the action itself feels a little tired, as in the stunts and speedy feeling become less and less powerful and amazing.

The story was simple but with all the "hero" messages and religion "advertising" it started to feel too contrived and mixed up. Finish it off with a poorly written and COMPLETELY unnecessarily ambiguous ending and you get 1997 "Vanishing Point".

Again I have not seen the original (something I will get on top of ASAP), so I can't decided for myself how it holds up but my experience with this film has strengthened my powers of clairvoyance and they say: "It doesn't..."

I love the original movie. I knew that the remake couldn't possibly be that good, and that they would make some changes to the story. Still, I thought they would at least capture some of the atmosphere of the original. Uh-uh. They screw up in every turn (for starters, giving the hero a REASON for racing so fast!)! None of the characters are likable, the action is lame, and the ending is mind-boggling awful and manipulative. You should be ashamed of yourself, 20th-Century-Fox!

A film that shouldn't have been made. If you've seen the original 1971 movie you'll know what I'm talking about. The atmosphere is gone, the story which tries to explain everything totally demystifies the film. I won't lose a word on the soundtrack ;) And Viggo Mortensen isn't half as cool as Barry Newman. The only reason to watch this movie is the white Challenger. Only that lovely Challenger :)