Main Cast: David Carradine, Bill McKinney, Veronica Hamel, Gerritt Graham, Robert Carradine
Release Year: 1976
Country: US/HK
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Paul Bartel rips off his own Death Race 2000 in this mindless car-crash saga, containing more twisted metal than a bombed-out steel mill. The nominal storyline concerns an illegal auto race from Los Angeles to New York that promises the winner 100,000 dollars. David Carradine is Coy "Cannonball" Buckman, the race leader who drags his girlfriend, Linda (Veronica Hamel), along for the ride. Cade Redman (Bill McKinney) tools around in a loud red Trans Am, while Cannonball's nemesis barrels along in a big, black Plymouth, trying to outsmart Cannonball at every turn and exit ramp. The pile-ups keep building, and the cameos (Roger Corman, Martin Scorsese, Sylvester Stallone, Joe Dante, Paul Bartel) keep coming, but Cannonball must make it to New York to collect his winnings. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Review
A re-teaming of Paul Bartel and David Carradine on a car-chase film should have been a sure thing after the success of Death Race 2000, but Cannonball falls short of the mark. The setup is promising enough, but the script glosses over the characterizations and rushes through the plot in a haphazard style, leaving some annoying loose ends flapping in the breeze. Bartel later confessed that he did not want to do this film and it shows in his competent but oddly impersonal direction: he manages the occasional impressive flourish (like the bizarre nightmare sequence that opens the film) but handles the frequent action in a slapdash, hurried style that hints at his boredom behind the camera. Cannonball is a hit-and-miss affair as a result, but B-movie aficionados will still want to check this one out for the cast. Carradine brings his usual stoic presence to the table, and Clint Eastwood movie regular Bill McKinney makes a memorably mean foe. Better yet, Cannonball is studded with all kinds of cameos guaranteed to delight the quick-eyed viewer; in addition to appearances by the likes of Scorsese and Stallone, there are also plenty of cult-movie fan favorites like Mary Woronov, Dick Miller, and Louisa Moritz. Ultimately, Cannonball is a bit too haphazard in style and storytelling for a general audience, but drive-in movie buffs might get a few cheap thrills out of it. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
Michel Levesque - Art Director, Paul Bartel - Director, Mort Tubor - Editor, Gustave Berne - Executive Producer, Run Run Shaw - Executive Producer, David A. Axelrod - Composer (Music Score), Tak Fujimoto - Cinematographer, Samuel W. Gelfman - Producer, Alex Vanderkar - Sound/Sound Designer, Alan R. Gibbs - Stunts, Paul Bartel - Screenwriter, Donald C. Simpson - Screenwriter
The Trans-America Grand Prix is an illegal race held every year between Los Angeles, California and New York, New York. David Carradine plays a recently released convict, Cannonball Buckman, trying to restart his automobile racing career by entering the race. Buckman is still on parole and if he is caught in the illegal race he will go back to prison; his best friend also enters the race with an identical car and an identical paint job to try and run cover for Buckman.
The race degenerates into a violent demolition derby as contestants use any means at their disposal to try and eliminate the competition. It culminates in a multiple car pileup in New Jersey.
