The Wild Racers

Roger Corman has one of the most unbelievable records when it comes to filmmaking. While he's directed over 500 movies, he only reportedly lost money on one of them! Now I am not saying all his movies worked well at the box office because they were great films or artistic triumphs. No, instead Corman knows how to make very, very cheap films that the public accepts and goes to see. Such is the case with "The Wild Racers"...a film which, technically, is very bad...but the overall movie is still worth seeing despite its many shortcomings.

The movie is about a racecar driver named Jojo (Fabian). Jojo has apparently worn out his welcome driving in the States and has now moved on to Europe to Formula One racing. While he is doing well, he insists he must always win...and is ruthless in pursuing victories. Along the way, he treats people like dirt...particularly his girlfriends.

The first portion of the movie is a mess. Instead of SHOWING any of Jojo's races or even showing Jojo, the film shows various clips of NASCAR style racing...with voiceovers from various drivers who hate his guts. It's sloppy. Later, the film switches to the story and you see and hear Jojo. However, this is also a problem because of the many, many rapid edits...really, really sloppy looking ones at that. It's supposed to be stylish, perhaps, but looks amateurish...as well as the extensive use of stock footage.

So why did I still give the film a 5 even if the film is technically bad? Well, the portrait of a high functioning sociopath IS interesting. You can't help but watch...much like you would if you saw a trainwreck...you can't help yourself from getting pulled up into it. Still, the film is clearly one which could have been better and I am sure may will dislike the vague sort of ending to the story.

A surprisingly artsy AIP drive-in race car movie whose credits are as interesting as what's actually on screen. The great Verna Fields (before "Jaws," etc.) and Nestor Almendros (a favorite DP of Truffaut and Rohmer before lensing films like "Places in the Heart") have editing and cinematography credits. That is a very big deal! And it was fun seeing "Talia Coppola" before she became "Talia Shire," and Mimy Farmer a year before she made Barbet Schroeder's X-rated "More" (also shot by Almendros btw). Fabian was a 1960's dreamboat. He was much "hotter" than Frankie Avalon or Tommy Sands: I never understood why his career never transcended teeny-bopper fare like this. A fascinating curio for connoisseurs of '60s "B" cinema.

'The Wild Racers' as movie is as shallow as its main character Jo Jo Quillico (played by pop singer Fabian) a race car driver living on the edge. Winning a race is his only intention and everything else comes second. Traveling from circuit to circuit, from country to country he conquers the women like racetracks. Until he finds a girlfriend (Mimsy Farmer) who sticks besides him, until she sees she can't get enough love from him.

The story is well written, but the most interesting part of the film is it's style - tilted camera angels and quick cuts - there are barely any shots that last more than 20 seconds, and scenes drive into scenes (we can barely set down at the dinner table when we are already back on racing track). The dialogue is minimal, but use of voice over is rather interesting - two characters are having conversation, then there is the change of the shot and conversation has turned into narration. I guess it has to do something the guerrilla style filmmaking as the crew didn't have permission to shoot on location (everything had to be canned on rush) and mixing it all real racing footage that some was colored from black and white.

Despite pseudo art house style the film carries the mood and atmosphere of '60s Grand Prix racing very well. Not stylistically as pure as lets say 'Le Mans' with Steve McQueen 'The Wild Racers' is still interesting film that any fans of the genre and racing should check out when the chance.

Voice of Fabian was dubbed by Dick Miller who also has brief cameo as pit mechanic, blink an eye and you miss him.

P.S. Although the film is about Formula 1, the cars shown in the movie are actually Formula 2 machinery.

This movie will BLOW YOUR MIND! I cant believe this movie is seen by very few people it is easily one of the best i have seen in my lifetime. The plot is full of heartwarming love and fast action. The only thing that triumphs the directing is the WRITING! Max House is a great writer and it is very sad that this is his only credit, might as well quit when your at the top i guess. I really wish to see more of Max House I hope he is still doing well and writing lot's! I will keep this review short and brief but i can't say it enough SEE THIS MASTERPIECE PLEASE AND SPREAD THE WORD.

Thanks.

I had to look up the dates on Wild Racers and LeMans. For the first hour of the movie it felt like the director was telling Fabian, " Do everything the way McQueen did it in LeMans". He even drives the same car. Remarkably, LeMans was made 2 years later. While I'll never put the two movies (or Fabian & McQueen) on the same level, they both had that same "Groovy" sixties vibe. That's what I love about sixties racing movies, they're like a time capsule of culture & style. The hair, the clothes, the way they talk...it's quite entertaining. Probably because racing is perceived as a young man's game. Living on the "Edge" as it were. I don't think if they made a period movie about the sixties, they could make it as convincing as the real thing.

Which leads me to the racing. While the racing footage in "Wild Racers" was excellent, it wasn't real. "LeMans" was real racing, real racers and real tension. Fabian, as good looking as he is, is no match for the hard intensity of McQueen. And McQueen was a bonified race car driver. An enthusiast of motor sports in general. Having driven and rode in competition, he had a leg up on Fabian.

It would be easy to pass Wild Racers off as a vehicle to launch the heart throb, crooner, a'La Elvis Presley, but that would be doing the actual film making a disservice. It's a very hip, inventive movie that takes some cinematic chances for the era it was made. Shaky cam, interesting camera angles, and lighting,very artsy when compared to the contrived schlock of a typical Elvis movie.

Perhaps, not a break out role for Mimsy Farmer, (did she ever have one?) she is breathtakingly, beautiful here. Like a vulnerable Amy Adams. I'd watch it again just for her.

All in all, a pretty decent, lazy Sunday afternoon, flick. If your asking, "Should I ?" I'm saying, "Yeah, why not"