26 reviews
Flesh against steel!
Richard Davalos of "East of Eden" fame plays Rick Bowman, a punkish man who wrecks his car in a drag race. He's bailed out of jail by cunning businessman & race promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy, in his final feature film), and groomed for a career as a driver in a series of hairy and violent figure eight races. Among Ricks' competitors is the flamboyant Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig), who's not used to losing and doesn't take it well.
Clearly "Pit Stop" has become something of an underdog on the resume of low budget filmmaking legend Jack Hill. Admittedly, it's got a pretty thin, and formulaic, story. At least one plot development was patently predictable. Also, as played as a rather inexpressive Davalos, Bowman remains something of a cipher. The show really belongs to the colourful supporting players. Jack Hill regular Haig, in particular, appears to have the time of his life as the cocky veteran. Beverly Washburn of Hills' "Spider Baby" is cute as the racing junkie who ends up in Ricks' bed. Donlevy does a decent job as the man who really only cares about results. Several real life racing figures play themselves; George Washburn (Beverlys' brother), himself a stunt driver and racer, is effective as old pro Ed McLeod. Finally, "Pit Stop" features a lovely Ellen Burstyn (billed here as Ellen McRae), doing a very nice job as McLeods' wife Ellen.
"Pit Stop" benefits from believably intense action scenes and use of actual racing tracks. It's a thickly atmospheric, convincing, and ultimately very fun movie with a groovy blues soundtrack.
You sure come to dislike Rick by the end of the story, though.
Seven out of 10.
Clearly "Pit Stop" has become something of an underdog on the resume of low budget filmmaking legend Jack Hill. Admittedly, it's got a pretty thin, and formulaic, story. At least one plot development was patently predictable. Also, as played as a rather inexpressive Davalos, Bowman remains something of a cipher. The show really belongs to the colourful supporting players. Jack Hill regular Haig, in particular, appears to have the time of his life as the cocky veteran. Beverly Washburn of Hills' "Spider Baby" is cute as the racing junkie who ends up in Ricks' bed. Donlevy does a decent job as the man who really only cares about results. Several real life racing figures play themselves; George Washburn (Beverlys' brother), himself a stunt driver and racer, is effective as old pro Ed McLeod. Finally, "Pit Stop" features a lovely Ellen Burstyn (billed here as Ellen McRae), doing a very nice job as McLeods' wife Ellen.
"Pit Stop" benefits from believably intense action scenes and use of actual racing tracks. It's a thickly atmospheric, convincing, and ultimately very fun movie with a groovy blues soundtrack.
You sure come to dislike Rick by the end of the story, though.
Seven out of 10.
- Hey_Sweden
- Sep 29, 2015
- Permalink
Faster and Far More Furious!
"Pit Stop" feels like an amalgamation between modern day racing flicks "The Fast and the Furious" and "Days of Thunder", only this Jack Hill film is way, way
WAY cooler, of course. Perhaps the aforementioned movies benefice from higher budgets, greater names in the cast and far more impressive (to teenage audiences, at least) car turning gimmicks, but both the characters and the actual racing footage in "Pit Stop" are genuinely more plausible and convincing. Regular race tracks are for pansies now, by the way, as Jack Hill introduces the Figure Eight Race Track! As its name implies, the track is shaped like an eight with a dangerous intersection in the middle and, the more the race gradually evolves, the harder it becomes for the drivers to avoid accidents. The plot centers on big shot Grant Willard (no less than Prof. Quatermass himself Brian Donlevy in his last film role) who sponsors young & reckless drivers and deliberately forces up the competition and hostility between them. Willard picks up the handsome and talented Rick from a vile street race and challenges him to defeat the reigning champion and ill-tempered Hawk. The competition between the two racers mutually and between them and the ultimate racing champ Ed McLeod becomes increasingly unbearable and even continues outside the racing tracks, as the men also share a romantic interest in the same women. "Pit Stop" is possibly Jack Hill's most ambitious and intellectual accomplishment as a director to date! Surely his more famous films like "Coffy", "Switchblade Sisters" and "The Big Doll House" are more sensational and easier to categorize as exploitation, but this film is stylish, involving and very realistic. The Figure Eight track was for real and most of the races exist of authentic footage and actual crashes interlarded with obviously fake images of Sid Haig and Richard Davalos pulling crazy faces and grotesquely turning a steering wheel. The character drawings are extremely legit as well, since the racers are depicted as obsessive and one-track-minded daredevils and their women as caring and supportive groupies that pray every race will have a happy ending. The performances are amazing, with a very young Ellen Burstyn in one of her first film roles after a lot of TV-work and Sid Haig portraying yet another delightfully freakish character. The film does run a little long and some of the padding buggy-racing footage in the desert, albeit spectacular, could have easily been cut a little. Jack Hill was also responsible for his own great editing and Austin McKinney's black and white cinematography is terrific. Highly recommended in case you're looking for a REAL cinematic highlight, rather than to watch Vin Diesel's big shiny bald head in a hideous car or Tom Cruise pretending to know anything about NASCAR driving.
50s iron bent every which way .....
Pure and simple, "Pit Stop" is a car crash movie that happens to have a story attached to it. The figure eight track will quickly remind you of the dirt in your face racing that used to be. Richard Davalos plays sort of an anti-hero, taking advantage of situations that could work in his favor at the expense of others. Brian Donlevy really doesn't fit here, and acts as though he would rather be somewhere else. Meanwhile, Sid Haig steals the movie, and is definitely the most interesting character. Do not come into this with expectations beyond drive in fodder, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It moves along at a nice pace, and the race scenes are well done. If you enjoy car carnage , this is definitely one to seek out. - MERK
- merklekranz
- Jun 8, 2017
- Permalink
The most underrated Jack Hill movie! Tough and super cool.
'The Winner' (aka 'Pit Stop') was made in the period between Jack Hill's wonderful horror cult classic 'Spider Baby' and his early 70s Pam Grier-led renaissance ('The Big Bird Cage', 'Coffy', Foxy Brown',etc.). While this movie very rarely gets mentioned it is one of Hill's very best, and is a tough and super cool car racing drama, much better than one would expect. Richard Davalos (best known for playing James Dean's brother in 'East Of Eden') plays Rick Bowman, a drag racing street punk who comes to the attention of car enthusiast Grant Willard (the final role for Brian Donlevy, fondly remembered as Professor Quatermass ). Willard bails him out of jail and offers him sponsorship as a race car driver. Bowman eventually accepts and becomes entranced by the tricky "figure eight" track Willard introduces him to. The king of the track is cocky and talented hot dogger Hawk Sidney (Hill regular Sid Haig in one of his most memorable and entertaining roles). Bowman and Sidney clash and Bowman sets his sights on knocking the latter of his perch while stealing his girl Jolene (Beverly Washburn who played Haig's demented sister in 'Spider Baby'). This is just the beginning for the ruthless Bowman who will let nobody stand in his way and will attempt to destroy any man, and seduce any woman who crosses his path. Pretty soon he has his eyes on Ellen McLeod ('The Exorcist's Ellen Burstyn ) the wife of champion racer Ed McLeod who he befriends. Will he betray his friends and colleagues on the eve of The Big Race, or will he finally discover he has a conscience? This is a taut and terrific drama with strong performances and exciting racing sequences that deserves to be better known. Highly recommended.
One of Jack Hill's lesser-known but best works
Following work on a couple of Francis Ford Coppola films, directing a couple of cheapie's for Roger Corman, and the delayed but supremely stylish Spider Baby (made in 1964 but unreleased until 1968), man-of-many-talents Jack Hill turned his attention to figure eight racing for Pit Stop, aka The Winner. The subject repulsed the director, but Corman insisted and, during his research, Hill became fascinated by the attitudes of the death-wish men behind the wheels. So, although the topic is pure exploitation, Pit Stop is character- driven, following the exploits of the stoic Rick Bowman (a brooding Richard Davalos) and his increasing obsession with the thrill of the win and the dance with death in every race. As racing promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy) says, a suicide is born every minute.
Shot in grainy black-and-white, Hill employs European, guerilla- esque tactics to film the movie as effectively as possible, squeezing as much out of its obvious budget limitations as possible. It helps achieve a neo-noir atmosphere, heightening the gloom yet amping up the style. Modern racing films tend to be sleek and shiny, but Pit Stop is pure grit. The racing scenes, which consist mostly of footage of real figure eight racing, are insanely entertaining, with every crash, flip and slide unhindered by editing, special effects or stunt work. It puts movies like The Fast and The Furious (2001) to shame, as although said franchise is entertaining in its own right, as a movie depicting the sheer thrill of the race, Pit Stop puts it to shame.
The performances are effective too. Davalos proves to be a charismatic "I play by my own rules"-type, hesitant at first, but eventually unable to resist the lure of the competition. Donlevy, Hammer's Quatermass, delivers reliable support, but the screen is inevitably chewed up and spat out by Hill regular Sid Haig as outlandish racing champion Hawk, putting his usual obnoxious redneck shtick to effective use. This being a Corman production, it often resigns itself to underdog genre tropes, but Hill's direction and screenplay means that there is always something more existential and cynical lurking beneath the surface. It may be one of Hill's lesser known works when compared to his exploitation classics Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974) and Switchblade Sisters (1975), but it is certainly one of his best.
Shot in grainy black-and-white, Hill employs European, guerilla- esque tactics to film the movie as effectively as possible, squeezing as much out of its obvious budget limitations as possible. It helps achieve a neo-noir atmosphere, heightening the gloom yet amping up the style. Modern racing films tend to be sleek and shiny, but Pit Stop is pure grit. The racing scenes, which consist mostly of footage of real figure eight racing, are insanely entertaining, with every crash, flip and slide unhindered by editing, special effects or stunt work. It puts movies like The Fast and The Furious (2001) to shame, as although said franchise is entertaining in its own right, as a movie depicting the sheer thrill of the race, Pit Stop puts it to shame.
The performances are effective too. Davalos proves to be a charismatic "I play by my own rules"-type, hesitant at first, but eventually unable to resist the lure of the competition. Donlevy, Hammer's Quatermass, delivers reliable support, but the screen is inevitably chewed up and spat out by Hill regular Sid Haig as outlandish racing champion Hawk, putting his usual obnoxious redneck shtick to effective use. This being a Corman production, it often resigns itself to underdog genre tropes, but Hill's direction and screenplay means that there is always something more existential and cynical lurking beneath the surface. It may be one of Hill's lesser known works when compared to his exploitation classics Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974) and Switchblade Sisters (1975), but it is certainly one of his best.
- tomgillespie2002
- May 6, 2015
- Permalink
Decent Grindhouse Flick
Automotive shop owner Brian Donleavy (in his last screen role) likes the way Richard Davalos drag races, so he offers to back him as a 'figure 8' racer. Davalos accepts, but will his need to win wind up killing him, or destroying him as a human being?
I'm not particularly fond of movies about racing; they usually concern guys sitting in a small set, twisting a steering wheel slightly while images of a track are back-projected behind them. There's that here, but there are also signs of an actual script. real conflict, decent actors -- including Ellen Burstyn in her third movie, and the always amusing Sid Haig -- and the footage of cars in action is pretty good. So is the score. In no way is this a great movie, but for a 1960s grindhouse second feature, it gets the job done.
I'm not particularly fond of movies about racing; they usually concern guys sitting in a small set, twisting a steering wheel slightly while images of a track are back-projected behind them. There's that here, but there are also signs of an actual script. real conflict, decent actors -- including Ellen Burstyn in her third movie, and the always amusing Sid Haig -- and the footage of cars in action is pretty good. So is the score. In no way is this a great movie, but for a 1960s grindhouse second feature, it gets the job done.
FASCINATING PORTRAIT OF AMERICA
It might seem odd to give this modest movie such a high score, but it is so well crafted and now in retrospect so fascinating, it is far more entertaining than much bigger and "important" movies made today.
First off, there is the insane-but-real setting of figure 8 racing, where racers speed across each others' paths at the track intersection. Just seeing such a crazy real-life sport enacted is worth watching PIT STOP!
Next, we have a layered story, with contrasting character arcs for "hero" Rick and heel Hawk (a career-best performance by the late, great Sid Haig).
The performances are great, with Brian Donlevy lending the same amoral tough-guy gravitas he brought to the Quatermas movies, and an early appearance by Ellen Burstyn.
And Kustom Kulture fans will also appreciate the on-location views of George Barris' car shop (the creator of the 1966 Batmobile, Munsters Coach, Monkeymobile, and many other showcars).
A real gem from the time when the American Grindhouse was taking cues from Euro Art House.
First off, there is the insane-but-real setting of figure 8 racing, where racers speed across each others' paths at the track intersection. Just seeing such a crazy real-life sport enacted is worth watching PIT STOP!
Next, we have a layered story, with contrasting character arcs for "hero" Rick and heel Hawk (a career-best performance by the late, great Sid Haig).
The performances are great, with Brian Donlevy lending the same amoral tough-guy gravitas he brought to the Quatermas movies, and an early appearance by Ellen Burstyn.
And Kustom Kulture fans will also appreciate the on-location views of George Barris' car shop (the creator of the 1966 Batmobile, Munsters Coach, Monkeymobile, and many other showcars).
A real gem from the time when the American Grindhouse was taking cues from Euro Art House.
- buncos22422
- Dec 30, 2019
- Permalink
love the car action
Street racer Rick Bowman (Richard Davalos) wins when the other car crashes into a house. The other car is owned by Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy) and he has a proposition. After bailing Rick out of jail, Grant recruits him for a figure 8 race track. Grant's other driver is the arrogant champ Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig). Rick has romantic entanglement with Hawk's girlfriend Jolene. Later, he sets his sight on racing chap Ed McCleod whose wife Ellen McCleod (Ellen Burstyn) is his top mechanic.
I can watch the car crashes all day. Those racing clips are pure fun. There are some great real action mixed in with the standard rear projection. The lead Richard Davalos is not the most energetic. He does have the leading man looks or else the much more powerful Sid Haig is the more compelling. Anyways, Sid is perfect as the strutting baddie. It's Donlevy's last film and features a thirtysomething Ellen Burstyn who is still working under the name Ellen McRae. As much as I like me some Ellen Burstyn, I don't see the McCleods as necessary. Rick already has a love triangle. His rivalry with Hawk is already set up. Adding more characters in the middle seems to be beside the point. The fact that Ed is so bland isn't doing much. The story is fine. The acting is fine. There are a couple of familiar faces which is intriguing. The best part of this movie is the car action or more precisely the car crashes.
I can watch the car crashes all day. Those racing clips are pure fun. There are some great real action mixed in with the standard rear projection. The lead Richard Davalos is not the most energetic. He does have the leading man looks or else the much more powerful Sid Haig is the more compelling. Anyways, Sid is perfect as the strutting baddie. It's Donlevy's last film and features a thirtysomething Ellen Burstyn who is still working under the name Ellen McRae. As much as I like me some Ellen Burstyn, I don't see the McCleods as necessary. Rick already has a love triangle. His rivalry with Hawk is already set up. Adding more characters in the middle seems to be beside the point. The fact that Ed is so bland isn't doing much. The story is fine. The acting is fine. There are a couple of familiar faces which is intriguing. The best part of this movie is the car action or more precisely the car crashes.
- SnoopyStyle
- Jul 30, 2021
- Permalink
A Beautiful Throbbing Piece of Americana
There's a genuinely unhinged quality to the stock car drivers depicted in this movie. Their lives are empty except for the thrill of racing, which amounts to a death wish. The black and white cinematography is excellent, with a very moody documentary/chariscuro feel. The principals are all very good, especially Sid Haig as a particularly unhinged driver. Beverly Washburn (also from the incredible SPIDER BABY) plays the protagonist's teenage girlfriend. For me, this movie shows a more complete mastery of the cinematic form then Coppola or Bogdonovich or any of those guys had when they were with Corman. And of course, the car wrecks filmed at real race tracks don't hurt either.
Winning at All Costs
This film takes place in California with a man by the name of "Grant Willard" (Brian Donlevy) having parked his car on the side of the road to watch an illegal drag race about to take place between two brash men. His interest is subsequently rewarded when he watches one of these young men careen off the road into a nearby building which allows the more aggressive driver named "Rick Bowman" (Richard Davalos) to win the race. Unfortunately for Rick, however, the police arrive much too quickly and after a brief chase manage to arrest him and haul him off to jail. This fortuitous turn of events allows Grant the opportunity to talk to him and, after posting his bail, gets him to agree to take part as a driver in a Figure 8 stock car competition. A venture, it should be noted, that Grant has invested quite a bit of money for his own personal agenda. Yet even though this isn't the type of racing Rick prefers, his aggressive nature soon casts him in the spotlight and this newfound fame puts him in a head-on collision of sorts with the top driver at this race named "Hawk Sidney" (Sid Haag)--with even better drivers looming on the horizon for both of them. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that I knew something was a bit off with this film when I noticed that it was dated in 1969 but filmed in black-and-white. And the longer the movie ran, the more convinced I became that this picture was filmed at a slightly earlier time. I can't explain it, but something just didn't seem right. Sure enough, after some brief research, I discovered that the movie was actually filmed in 1967 and subsequently released two years later. Be that as it may, for a low-budget movie of this type, I found it to be enjoyable for the most part and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.
So this is a cult film?
Pit Stop was truly a film made on the cheap. Not even color was used and that's
pretty rare for 1969. Made it look like it was one of those cheap dragstrip films
from the 50s. In fact this starts as a race for the pinks.
Brian Donlevy in what was his last film is big into all kinds of auto racing and he's at an unofficial drag race always on the lookout for talent. He finds it in Dick Davalos though he has to bail him out of jail.
Introducing him to the stock car racing scene Donlevy has Davalos meeting all kinds of folks. Including Sid Haig. This guy is one psycho and granted there are few rules at the lower level. But I would think this guy would be barred from every auto track in the nation from Watkins Glen to Daytona to the Indianapolis Raceway.
Looking at some of the racing films that came out at the time this one did Pit Stop doesn't come close to items like Winning, Grand Prix, or Steve McQueen's Le Mans.
Definitely second rate, lots seem to like it though.
Brian Donlevy in what was his last film is big into all kinds of auto racing and he's at an unofficial drag race always on the lookout for talent. He finds it in Dick Davalos though he has to bail him out of jail.
Introducing him to the stock car racing scene Donlevy has Davalos meeting all kinds of folks. Including Sid Haig. This guy is one psycho and granted there are few rules at the lower level. But I would think this guy would be barred from every auto track in the nation from Watkins Glen to Daytona to the Indianapolis Raceway.
Looking at some of the racing films that came out at the time this one did Pit Stop doesn't come close to items like Winning, Grand Prix, or Steve McQueen's Le Mans.
Definitely second rate, lots seem to like it though.
- bkoganbing
- Aug 5, 2019
- Permalink
Best Car Racing/Race Car/Hot Rod Movie Ever
PIT STOP is actually THE WINNER since not only is that the exact title on the screen during the opening credits, but there's only one pit stop: where villain turned strategic wild card Sid Haig stops for half a second during the last race...
Which isn't your usual climax since the movie continuously peaks throughout. Backed by tough instrumental rock... the fat, crunchy guitar sounding more 1950's than 1967... this low-budget curio's directed by b-movie icon Jack Hill, before his signature women-in-prison and/or urban blaxploitation flicks...
Filmed around Los Angeles in sparse, bleak B&W from city streets to a steely-dusk junkyard to the noisy tracks, where the style of racing is mostly Figure 8, which is practically suicide even for the most intrepid hot dogs: In each smash em' up bout, always ending in a loud, boisterous, go-go barroom, Hill clearly lets you know what driver's behind the wheel, and when...
Either Sid Haig's rowdy, cocky Hawk Sidney or main character Dick Davalos as Rick Bowman, both working for Grant Willard, played by veteran actor Brian Donlevy, who's cooler and colder than the drivers he subtly pits against each other. And there's always a reason for the racing around, established within lean exposition that stretches PIT STOP beyond that era's hot rod exploitation fare: but it's all that, too...
And there's even some horror/thriller elements: Like when Haig turns borderline psychotic, taking an ax to Davalos's car simply for beating him the night before. He's also jealous about losing his girl, played by the Jack Hill directed SPIDER BABY co-star Beverly Washburn: With raven black bobbed hair and a flirtatious smile, she wields a loose yet still constrained b-girl sensuality combined with small town pathos and humble desperation.
By far, the coolest sequence takes place in the desert, filled with a reverberated, concert-like, beer-guzzling celebration of eclectic, experimental dune buggies where the edgy rock guitar grooves into a jazzy and melodic, psychedelic spontaneity as Davalos tests an engine for a pivotal race with the straitlaced husband of who eventually becomes his leading ingenue, and would, a year later, change her last name from Ellen McRae to Ellen Burstyn as tomboy mechanic Ellen McCleod, more desirably down-to-earth than Washburn's experienced hot rod moll.
Like what George Lucas would achieve six years later with AMERICAN GRAFFITI, there's a palpable feeling as if being right there with the drivers in their machines: but not in the usual monotonous and often times convoluted mainstream "cars racing around a circular-track" fashion: Placing PIT STOP ahead of large-scale productions like GRAND PRIX or the vehicle that made THE WINNER change its title, being too similar to WINNING...
But neither Paul Newman or James Garner or even Steve McQueen can equal these at-that-time no-name actors/actresses; and it's not all because of the drivers or their driving. This is director Jack Hill's coolest, tightest, most complete motion picture, and with very few superfluous distractions for the target drive-in audience...
Meanwhile, the ambiguous yet tragic "twist" ending really isn't a surprise if you (after several recommended viewings) pay close enough attention to the hard-line ethic of the primary stars: From the rudimentary city street drag race on, Donlevy and Davalos have one goal in mind: the finish line.
Which isn't your usual climax since the movie continuously peaks throughout. Backed by tough instrumental rock... the fat, crunchy guitar sounding more 1950's than 1967... this low-budget curio's directed by b-movie icon Jack Hill, before his signature women-in-prison and/or urban blaxploitation flicks...
Filmed around Los Angeles in sparse, bleak B&W from city streets to a steely-dusk junkyard to the noisy tracks, where the style of racing is mostly Figure 8, which is practically suicide even for the most intrepid hot dogs: In each smash em' up bout, always ending in a loud, boisterous, go-go barroom, Hill clearly lets you know what driver's behind the wheel, and when...
Either Sid Haig's rowdy, cocky Hawk Sidney or main character Dick Davalos as Rick Bowman, both working for Grant Willard, played by veteran actor Brian Donlevy, who's cooler and colder than the drivers he subtly pits against each other. And there's always a reason for the racing around, established within lean exposition that stretches PIT STOP beyond that era's hot rod exploitation fare: but it's all that, too...
And there's even some horror/thriller elements: Like when Haig turns borderline psychotic, taking an ax to Davalos's car simply for beating him the night before. He's also jealous about losing his girl, played by the Jack Hill directed SPIDER BABY co-star Beverly Washburn: With raven black bobbed hair and a flirtatious smile, she wields a loose yet still constrained b-girl sensuality combined with small town pathos and humble desperation.
By far, the coolest sequence takes place in the desert, filled with a reverberated, concert-like, beer-guzzling celebration of eclectic, experimental dune buggies where the edgy rock guitar grooves into a jazzy and melodic, psychedelic spontaneity as Davalos tests an engine for a pivotal race with the straitlaced husband of who eventually becomes his leading ingenue, and would, a year later, change her last name from Ellen McRae to Ellen Burstyn as tomboy mechanic Ellen McCleod, more desirably down-to-earth than Washburn's experienced hot rod moll.
Like what George Lucas would achieve six years later with AMERICAN GRAFFITI, there's a palpable feeling as if being right there with the drivers in their machines: but not in the usual monotonous and often times convoluted mainstream "cars racing around a circular-track" fashion: Placing PIT STOP ahead of large-scale productions like GRAND PRIX or the vehicle that made THE WINNER change its title, being too similar to WINNING...
But neither Paul Newman or James Garner or even Steve McQueen can equal these at-that-time no-name actors/actresses; and it's not all because of the drivers or their driving. This is director Jack Hill's coolest, tightest, most complete motion picture, and with very few superfluous distractions for the target drive-in audience...
Meanwhile, the ambiguous yet tragic "twist" ending really isn't a surprise if you (after several recommended viewings) pay close enough attention to the hard-line ethic of the primary stars: From the rudimentary city street drag race on, Donlevy and Davalos have one goal in mind: the finish line.
- TheFearmakers
- Jan 27, 2019
- Permalink
Sid Haig has hair!
- BandSAboutMovies
- Dec 10, 2020
- Permalink
OMG. How can anyone think this...
...movie is worth anymore than 2 or 3 stars? It's nothing more than watching a bunch of grown men driving around in circles, smashing into each other's old jalopies like they're little boys playing bumper cars.
And what a huge step down for both Brian Donlevy and the underrated Richard Davalos. From "East of Eden" to this steaming pile of poo. This looks like it cost about $50 to make. I mean, in who's garage did they set up the tacky rear-screen projectors for the cheap close-ups during the driving scenes?
SO TACKY. SO CHEAP. And such a waste of film, talent, and time.
And what a huge step down for both Brian Donlevy and the underrated Richard Davalos. From "East of Eden" to this steaming pile of poo. This looks like it cost about $50 to make. I mean, in who's garage did they set up the tacky rear-screen projectors for the cheap close-ups during the driving scenes?
SO TACKY. SO CHEAP. And such a waste of film, talent, and time.
- IdaSlapter
- Feb 6, 2021
- Permalink
Amazing masterpiece
Recently I watched for the first time Peter Bogdanovich's highly acclaimed "The Last Picture Show". And while watching it, this movie, made only a few years earlier by Jack Hill, came to my mind immediately. Ever since I wonder why I find The Winner so much superior.
The Winner has a similar setting and a story with similar protagonists like Picture Show. Both have Ellen Burstyn. Somehow The Winner is very direct. I suppose that whereas Picture Show was intellectual to the point of resembling a theses on film theory, The Winner shows the artisan's approach. It goes to your heart, not to your brain. I could not explain how it is done technically, but it is very effective.
Although apparently a "cheapie", The Winner is made by good professionals. The story is simple but coherent, straightforward and always entertaining. The acting performances are convincing throughout; there is screen veteran Brian Donlevy, the most peculiar of all "naturals" and definitively one of my all time Hollywood favorites, playing the type of the greedy sports manager. "Cheapie"-star Sid Haig plays a bad boy with appropriate cartoonish zeal, the same can be said of the performance of "the chick", played by Beverly Washburn. The main character, a young racing enthusiast, is presented like a junk yard gladiator: taciturn, brooding and determined - "existentialistic". It all fits. Ellen Burstyn's low-key performance as a racer's wife is extremely touching - her part again compares favorably with the Oscar winning one in Picture Show.
The black and white fotography is excellent, there is a long, almost dreamlike sequence of dragster cars making artful figures in the sand dunes. The soundtrack is fantastic and a good early example of heavy rock music. This is an artful portrait of American provincial youth just before the hippy movement started.
The Winner has a similar setting and a story with similar protagonists like Picture Show. Both have Ellen Burstyn. Somehow The Winner is very direct. I suppose that whereas Picture Show was intellectual to the point of resembling a theses on film theory, The Winner shows the artisan's approach. It goes to your heart, not to your brain. I could not explain how it is done technically, but it is very effective.
Although apparently a "cheapie", The Winner is made by good professionals. The story is simple but coherent, straightforward and always entertaining. The acting performances are convincing throughout; there is screen veteran Brian Donlevy, the most peculiar of all "naturals" and definitively one of my all time Hollywood favorites, playing the type of the greedy sports manager. "Cheapie"-star Sid Haig plays a bad boy with appropriate cartoonish zeal, the same can be said of the performance of "the chick", played by Beverly Washburn. The main character, a young racing enthusiast, is presented like a junk yard gladiator: taciturn, brooding and determined - "existentialistic". It all fits. Ellen Burstyn's low-key performance as a racer's wife is extremely touching - her part again compares favorably with the Oscar winning one in Picture Show.
The black and white fotography is excellent, there is a long, almost dreamlike sequence of dragster cars making artful figures in the sand dunes. The soundtrack is fantastic and a good early example of heavy rock music. This is an artful portrait of American provincial youth just before the hippy movement started.
- manuel-pestalozzi
- Apr 9, 2003
- Permalink
Exciting
What is interesting about B films is their ability to demonstrate qualities, despite the scarcity of means. Unlike a big budget, where all the means for success are granted, which is not always enough to avoid flops, in a B series the means are frankly reduced, although positive results are still expected, due to the reduction of costs. So B movies are mostly cheap films that try to hit the majority taste of the public.
All this to conclude that Pit Stop is certainly not an auteur film, nor a masterpiece of cinema, but it is one of the most exciting films I have seen about car racing.
A low budget with a simple and predictable plot, a lot of editing work to cut filming costs, second-rate actors (despite the presence of an unexpected Ellen Burstyn in a secondary role, which gives the film a touch of class), but action in spurts, fantastic and exciting races, with accidents in bulk, taken from a time when motor racing was still synonymous with a game of life and death.
All this to conclude that Pit Stop is certainly not an auteur film, nor a masterpiece of cinema, but it is one of the most exciting films I have seen about car racing.
A low budget with a simple and predictable plot, a lot of editing work to cut filming costs, second-rate actors (despite the presence of an unexpected Ellen Burstyn in a secondary role, which gives the film a touch of class), but action in spurts, fantastic and exciting races, with accidents in bulk, taken from a time when motor racing was still synonymous with a game of life and death.
- ricardojorgeramalho
- Jan 5, 2023
- Permalink
This movie is awesom. It really is!
There's a class of movies that are low budget that reflect an era of Americana and certain people that get it right. A specific view. A look back at a time, place or people. I'm from a group that looks back at my heritage and those from my family and friends. West coast hot rodders. This flic has that vibe. If you're into vintage American gas. This is a great flix.
- brianehill
- May 1, 2020
- Permalink
Jack Hill's excellent & unjustly overlooked race car drama
- Woodyanders
- May 20, 2006
- Permalink
B movie heaven, just a decade too late.
- mark.waltz
- Aug 12, 2023
- Permalink
A Truly Excellent Film
A young street punk named, Rick Bowman (Dick Davalos), arrested for drag racing. He is bailed out by racing promoter Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy), who offers to sponsor him as driver in the crazy world of figure-8 racing. Rick at first turns down his offer, but later decides to accept his offer after he sees the current figure-8 champion Hawk (Long Time Hill Regular Sid Haig). Rick sees the arrogance of Hawk and decides that he is better than him and he can beat him.
Rick does awful in his first 2 races and seeks some help. He finds an old man who used to be a champ and learns his secrets. Finally, Rick is able to beat Hawk and becomes the winner, but becoming a winner comes with a price.
Pit Stop without a doubt is Jack Hill's finest effort as a director. Hill who really didn't want to even do a race film, does a terrific job of creating a realistic feel of the racing circuit. The car crashes are well staged and edited, also the acting is excellent all across the board, especially by Sid Haig as the arrogant Hawk. Pit Stop comes in first place as one of the best films of the drive-in era.
Rick does awful in his first 2 races and seeks some help. He finds an old man who used to be a champ and learns his secrets. Finally, Rick is able to beat Hawk and becomes the winner, but becoming a winner comes with a price.
Pit Stop without a doubt is Jack Hill's finest effort as a director. Hill who really didn't want to even do a race film, does a terrific job of creating a realistic feel of the racing circuit. The car crashes are well staged and edited, also the acting is excellent all across the board, especially by Sid Haig as the arrogant Hawk. Pit Stop comes in first place as one of the best films of the drive-in era.
- DVD Maniac
- Sep 14, 2000
- Permalink
Tight rein
- Leofwine_draca
- Nov 15, 2018
- Permalink
Enjoyably super-noir
Sometimes I read some of the IMDB reviews and laugh my ass off at the seriousness, pretentiousness, and wannabe a film critic-ness of so many posting here.
I just wanna know if it's a good movie or maybe a bit of trivia about it.
So, in my not-a-film-critic opinion, this is a fun movie. Good enough in it's unique genre to give it a 9.
I ran across it in the lineup of Saturday afternoon movies being shown on antenna tv. It's a gem of noir-ness, stark black and white versus smoky, with a great soundtrack of the times, running at incongruent times throughout the movie.
I looked it up on IMDB to confirm that's indeed the beautiful young Ellen Burstyn, radiant in the late 60's.
- everybodygettogether
- Feb 12, 2021
- Permalink
Memories
If you grew up in the 1960's and had a Dad that took you to the stock car races at Long Island's Freeport Speedway this movie will bring back memories. The guys here are not the ones you see today racing in NASCAR. They are like the guys I saw growing up, guys that owned their own gas stations and raced for the love of it. The reason my Dad took us there was because he knew a driver/owner that owned the local Sinclair station. It was a slice of America that no longer exists. We had the oval, not the figure eight, which seems like a waste of good old cars. I was surprised to see a 1958-60 Thunderbird at one of the race in the movie, I almost cried.
DRAG RACING WITH HEART
Most of this is footage of stock car racing, so that may limit interest to the general audience. There are really 2 stories here. One of Grant Willard, a poor kid (Brian Donlevy) working his way up the ranks in racing. The other is a love story, First plot follows a young driver's rise to fame, the business men who exploit him, and his rival (Sid Haig), an unhinged guy who boasts he gladly faces death in order to secure his supremacy. There's also an old guy hanging round the track handing out advice. I think he's the real deal, says he's been racing since 1919, and looks it. The second plot is the pit stop, metaphor for the stolen moments for romance between the driver and the tomboy greaser-chaser, unsurprisingly always hanging round the garage, mocked by the rest of the crew, but Grant is special and sensitive. Nothing deep, but Beverly Washburn, as Jolene, is a charming little imp who really brightens the screen.
co-starring Ellen Burstyn ("Exorcist", " Alice Doesn't Live Here...")!, credited as Ellen Mcrae
co-starring Ellen Burstyn ("Exorcist", " Alice Doesn't Live Here...")!, credited as Ellen Mcrae
Brian Donlevy Goes Out With A Bang, I PROMISE YOU!
Awesome low budget film by Walter Hill. Brian Donlevy's final performance (remember him in Beau Geste? "I promise you!", lol), AND SIG HAIG WHO CANT DRIVE IN REALITY! Seriously, with all those very memorable cult film names AND throw in Richard Davalos and the Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, I mean come on, this is grade A drive in material. I like the very end though when the Star Trek actor, Beverly Washburn, has the last line. That's how you will remember the whole picture. I luckily found this on Amazon prime a ways back but have seen it posted elsewhere since. I would recommend this with the 1964 film The Killers to get a double dose of drive in racing action. RIP, all those memorable actors who have now passed but especially Brian, Richard and Sid. Thanks for a wild ride!