Pit Stop (1969)

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

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.

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.

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.