Race With the Devil (1975)
"If you're going to race with the devil, you've got to be as FAST AS HELL!"
Rated PG / Color / 88 Minutes

WARNING: THIS CAPSULE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Life is good for Roger Marsh (Peter Fonda) and Frank Stewart (Warren Oates). They're wealthy, have beautiful wives, and are about to take a road trip to Colorado in Frank's brand new recreational vehicle. What could possibly go wrong... other than the fact that Frank decides to drive his R.V. smack dab into Satanic cult country for a holiday?

These meddling do-gooders are destined to burn in a Ring of Fire.

The vacationing couples park their R.V. in a secluded field that is far off the beaten path, and settle in as night falls on the peaceful location. Later that evening, as Frank and Roger enjoy some cocktails, they see a huge bonfire suddenly appear near their camp. They grab a pair of binoculars and move in for a closer look at what they assume is some sort of drug-fueled orgy.

Their voyeurism come to an abrupt halt after a young naked woman is murdered during the strange ritual. Frank and Roger decide that it would be in their best interests to keep a low profile and get the hell out of Dodge, but as they prepare to slip away, Frank's wife (Loretta Swit) steps outside and yells for the menfolk to come in.

Due to "Hot Lips" Houlihan's loud nagging, the cultists become aware of their unwelcome spectators and the titular Race With the Devil begins. And that's pretty much all there is to the story, as the remainder of the film revolves around these two terrified couples attempting to get to Amarillo, Texas in order to tell the authorities what they saw.

To join a satanic cult you must either be butt ugly or have a 70's porno mustache.

However, it seems that every single person along the rural Texan highways and byways is a part of the relentless cult. Though attempts are made to have the viewer question who is or isn't a member of the murderous satanic cult, the effort falls a bit flat. Essentially, anyone who casts an odd glance at the film's protagonists is, ninety-nine percent of the time, a cultist.

And this is one thing that should have been improved upon in the film. There is a feeling of urgency and impending danger as the two beleaguered couples fight their way through roadblocks and staged accidents, but the film really fails to create a true sense of paranoia.

Had Roger and Frank picked up a hitchhiker, then perhaps there could have been a nice juicy subplot where they begin to suspect that the newcomer amongst them is collaborating with their crazed pursuers. But this film keeps the proceedings fairly simple; it's just Roger, Frank, Alice, and Kelly against the world.

"Get your damned dirty trucks away from my R.V.!"

But fear not, for the (somewhat lacking) plot is pretty much tossed out the window once the third act kicks in. At this point, the cultists who mostly came out at night (mostly), attack our heroes in broad daylight in one of the most entertaining car chases ever shot on film!

Vehicles flip over a ridiculous number of times and/or explode, unlucky bad guys get filled with buckshot, and in one hilarious moment, a cultist somehow drives his pickup truck up on two wheels until he runs over a dirtbike and crashes! It's pure insanity and is definitely the main reason to watch this movie.

After a harrowing escape from satanic stunt drivers, the crew of the decimated R.V. pull off onto a dirt road for the night since their motor home is currently lacking headlights (and most of a front end). As they try to chill out and seek solace in booze, a nearby tree suddenly bursts into flame and loud chanting begins to fill the pitch black night.

Before they can drive off, or even attempt to escape the R.V., the four unlucky travelers are trapped inside by a ring of fire and are left to a somewhat ambiguous end. Truthfully, I think ultimate evil wins out in the end here, but seeing as how tough and resourceful Roger and Frank have been, I wouldn't have been too surprised if they somehow escaped.

Here's a small sample of the vehicluar hijinks and carnage you will see during the final act of "Race With the Devil."

Race With the Devil is not a thought-provoking film, and it doesn't try to be. It's a movie about good, decent people that are thrust into an unbelievable situation, where they must fight and kill to survive. Unlike the pursuing cultists, Frank and Roger are hesitant to kill or really even injure anyone, but eventually, even these guys get caught up in the bloodlust and take out a number of crazed satanic fanatics with their R.V. and/or shotgun.

And one thing I found refreshing about Race With the Devil was how it took the usual conventions of a car chase movie and flipped them around. Most movies of this kind typically involve an antagonist (usually an anti-hero that rubbed the law the wrong way) fleeing from the authorities, but this time around it’s the good guys that are on the run, and the cops are nowhere to be found.

Though a lot more could have been done with the premise of this movie (I personally would have liked to learn a bit more about the cult and how far their diabolical reach actually extended), Race With the Devil is still an enjoyable flick and rightfully deserves a place amongst classic car chase / stunt films like Vanishing Point and Gone in 60 Seconds.

I am more than happy to give this oft-forgotten drive-in classic:


- THREE AND-A-HALF 'RADS' -

NEWS: Race With the Devil is currently going through the motions of being remade. While I usually abhor remakes, I'm actually willing to give this one a chance. Expect to see the remake in theaters sometime in 2011!

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