FAST COMPANY (David Cronenberg, 1979, Canada) High-octane absurdity fuels this noxious mixture of made-for-television dialogue and adolescent contrivance of easy women, fast cars, and mechanical caricature. This ridiculous narrative is structured around “Lucky” Lonnie Johnson, an aging race car driver who falls victim to the all consuming dictatorship of his sponsor; a man who replaces his morals with those of his unabashedly despicable manager. The resulting 91 minutes are an aberration for director David Cronenberg because the film’s frisson is turgid and hollow, full of supercharged hot air. The fiery finale is totally unconvincing and melts the story’s abject fiberglass structure, as our protagonist commits murder before a crowd of thousands…yet no police investigation ensues. Through the dense smoke of spinning tires and spitting flames, Cronenberg captures some striking visuals. The cinematography brings the viewer inside a funny car at over 200 mph while we watch the seconds tick by, their length heightened by the thrill. Cronenberg films on location utilizing real events and this contrasting montage adds glamour to the burning rubber and gas-drenched scenery, revealing the beauty beneath the growling beast. Unfortunately, FAST COMPANY should be quickly forgotten. (D-)
It's funny how the colors of the real world only seem really real when you viddy them on the screen.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
FAST COMPANY (David Cronenberg, 1979, Canada) High-octane absurdity fuels this noxious mixture of made-for-television dialogue and adolescent contrivance of easy women, fast cars, and mechanical caricature. This ridiculous narrative is structured around “Lucky” Lonnie Johnson, an aging race car driver who falls victim to the all consuming dictatorship of his sponsor; a man who replaces his morals with those of his unabashedly despicable manager. The resulting 91 minutes are an aberration for director David Cronenberg because the film’s frisson is turgid and hollow, full of supercharged hot air. The fiery finale is totally unconvincing and melts the story’s abject fiberglass structure, as our protagonist commits murder before a crowd of thousands…yet no police investigation ensues. Through the dense smoke of spinning tires and spitting flames, Cronenberg captures some striking visuals. The cinematography brings the viewer inside a funny car at over 200 mph while we watch the seconds tick by, their length heightened by the thrill. Cronenberg films on location utilizing real events and this contrasting montage adds glamour to the burning rubber and gas-drenched scenery, revealing the beauty beneath the growling beast. Unfortunately, FAST COMPANY should be quickly forgotten. (D-)
