Deadhead miles features,of course, one of the most gifted and underrated actors, Alan Arkin. However, the film, called a comedy, is merely a sad commentary on one rather bizarre trucker's life and experiences that no real trucker would endure. Technically flawed, the film when it was first released to theatres, went about as far as a Peterbilt tractor in reverse but with the engine stalled. After its first attempt at theatrical release, it gained a new soundtrack which still did not provide enough ooomph to move a rather incredulous, vapid plot even in first gear. Without revealing the ending, as someone who has spent a lifetime in the trucking industry, all I can say is no trucker in his right mind would have done what Alan Arkin did, although his characterization might justify his bizarre actions. On a scale of one to ten, as a trucker-oriented movie, I give it a minus nine, and that's being generous.
