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Vanishing Point (1971 film)

1971 film by Richard C. Sarafian

Vanishing Point is a 1971 film about car delivery driver Kowalski who delivers hot rods in record time but always runs into trouble with the highway cops.

Directed by Richard C. Sarafian. Written by Guillermo Cain.
Tighten your seat belt. You never had a trip like this before.  (taglines)

Super Soul

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  • And there goes the Challenger, being chased by the blue, blue meanies on wheels. The vicious traffic squad cars are after our lone driver, the last American hero, the electric centaur, the, the demi-god, the super driver of the golden west! Two nasty Nazi cars are close behind the beautiful lone driver. The police numbers are gettin' closer, closer, closer to our soul hero, in his soul mobile, yeah baby! They about to strike. They gonna get him. Smash him. Rape... the last beautiful free soul on this planet. But, it is written: "If the evil spirit arms the tiger with claws, Brahman provided wings for the dove." Thus spake the super guru.
  • It's true, true, true, true, my friends. For, by the latest information, our soul Challenger has just broken the ring of evil the deep blue meanies have so righteously wrought. Get through 'em, baby! Get through 'em!
  • Kowalski, can you hear me? Do you hear me, Kowalski? Now, I know you can hear me, Kowalski. I'm sure you hear me now. This very minute. Now, you listen very carefully. The whole mobile force of the Nevada State Highway Patrol is after you. They waitin' for you to come up for air. Yeah. Now, some people imagine you'll try to get to California through Death Valley. And others bet you'll die there in the desert. These few are just too happy to see you vanish for good out there. But my tape deck is just as jammed with telegrams as my head is jammed with phone calls from people who are wishing you well in your getaway, no matter where it might lead you. I wish I could help you, but I can't. I can't. I don't think anybody can, except for that crazy lucky streak of yours. And now you're gonna need more luck. All of it, perhaps, and badly. You can beat the police, you can beat the road and you can even beat the clock. But you can't beat the desert. Nobody can.
  • And today, in a beautiful gesture made by beautiful people, in beautiful downtown Goldfield, this radio station was named KOWalski, in honor of the last American hero, to whom speed means freedom of the soul. The question is not when's he gonna stop, but who is gonna stop him.

Dialogue

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Charlie: [after listening to Super Soul's broadcast] Did you hear that?
Collins: Yeah.
Charlie: Where the hell he get so much information?
Collins: Same place as you do, Charley.
Charlie: You mean from our own frequency?
Collins: That's right.
Charlie: How long's he been at it?
Collins: Year 'n a half, maybe two.
Charlie: Hell, that's against the law!
Collins: So's carryin' a transistor on duty.
Charlie: Hey, come on now, that's different.
Collins: But he never says anything to incriminate himself. Brains 'n lawyers, Charley. As far as the law's concerned, he's clean as Kleenex.
Kowalski: What do you do with those things?
Prospector: Trade 'em. Trade 'em for coffee, sugar, chewing tobacco, salt, flour, and beans, lots of beans, son.
Charlie: What do you think he's done?
Collins: Don't know.
Charlie: Well, what do you think?
Collins: I think he's gonna hijack that car to Cuba, hahahaha.
Charlie: Don't be ridiculous!
Collins: Hell, Charlie, I don' know! Maybe killed somebody! Maybe stole that big dude o' his! Maybe both.
Colorado State HP Officer: Nevada, this is Colorado State Highway Patrol. This is about a special query raised by the Utah Highway Patrol. - Affirmative, that's correct, but later they asked that the information be forwarded to you guys, so get ready for some details. Put on your tape recorders and all that sort of jazz, huh? Apparently this speed maniac you've been chasing all over your territory is a former professional road racer named Kowalski, K-O-W-A-L-S-K-I, repeat Kowalski. First name unknown, other particulars also unknown. All we do know is that he's employed as a car delivery driver by an agency in Denver. He's presently driving a Dodge Challenger, Colorado licence plate OA-5599. This is not a stolen car; he's driving it to San Francisco for delivery due Monday.
Nevada State HP Officer: It's only Saturday, what's his hurry?
Colorado State HP Officer: That's what we wanted to know ourselves, so your guess is as good as ours. 10-4.
Hitchhiker: I like you, Kowalski... I like you...I've been waiting for you for a long time... Oh, how I've waited...
Kowalski: Yeah? Since when? Where?
Hitchhiker: Oh, everywhere... Everywhere, and since forever... Patiently... Patiently... that's the only way to wait for somebody...
Nude Motorcycle Rider: Is there something I can do for you?
Kowalski: Well, like what?
Nude Motorcycle Rider: Like anything you want.
Kowalski: How about a smoke?
Nude Motorcycle Rider: Sure, I'll roll you one.
Kowalski: No, no, no, no. A straight one.

Taglines

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  • Tighten your seat belt. You never had a trip like this before.
  • It's the maximum trip... at maximum speed.
  • Watch carefully because everything happens fast. The chase. The desert. The shack. The girl. The roadblock. The end.

Cast

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