King of the Mountain

It was my favorite street race flicks of all time until Fast and Furious came out. Now I debate about which one I like better. You can't be a real car flick guy if you haven't seen this movie. It didn't have a big budget but it has a decent amount of action going on. It wasn't in the theaters very long so I didn't get a chance to catch it on the big screen. It has more emphasis on cars than most car flicks yet it retained a decent story with a good plot. Most car flicks have a crappy story and very little car action. Dennis Hopper was the best character he played the hell out of that role. My only gripe is why the heck hasn't this been release on DVD??? I had it on VHS but I don't know what I did with it :'(

Harry Hamlin stars in this amateurish drama shot in just over a month in Los Angeles. The "mountain" of the title is L. A.'s Mulholland Drive--"23 miles of curves!"--as street-racer Hamlin eludes cops on the road and helicopters in the sky to retain his title of fastest driver. Hamlin has movie star presence (which he says was scuttled a year later after portraying a gay man in "Making Love"), and he's supported by a fine cast including Deborah Van Valkenburgh (always an asset), Joseph Bottoms, Seymour Cassel, and Dennis Hopper. However, what might have become a cult movie falls way short, as the screenplay by Leigh Chapman and H. R. Christian (via an article by David Barry) isn't incisive or provocative. Despite an overabundance of headlights and taillights, Donald Peterman's moody cinematography is about the best of it. * from ****

This movie is quite good. More action than that sucky commercial flick Gone in 60 Seconds that bored me in six milliseconds! THIS IS A CLASSIC CAR ACTION FILM IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD. Great action throughout, a fair script and good actors, although it may not have been their best acting performance. The real stars (the cars) are not forgotten here. If you do get to see this movie, check out the cool mid-70's white Datsun 280-Z with diagonal striping on doors. I saw an example of one of these cars in a magazine with a Chevy 350 installed. And of course, Steve's (Harry Hamlin) Porsche 356 Speedster with Centerline wheels on WIDE B.F. Goodrich tiers under AC Cobra like wheel well flares! This move will satisfy all car nuts. And some who aren't! This was the days before the after- market auto industry made it possible for just about anyone to build a cool car through a catalogue or the Internet. None of these cars are straight of the shelf. Except perhaps for a 1980 Chevy Camaro Z28 and a Jaguar XKE. I have this movie on videotape that had to have been recorded in the mid-80's by a friend or myself when I was around 13 years old. Unfortunately, I can't find this movie being sold on VHS or DVD anywhere. Enjoy it, if you can find it. If you think you would like this kind of movie, try finding `The Driver' with Ryan O'neal and Bruce Dern too!

Although there are some death scenes, this movie captured the LA culture of the late '70s, early '80s spot on.

The movie captures the freedom and the energy America had some years ago before it started to shift to more of a beehive mentality. It also features the pre Gen-X culture when the ME generation ruled the world.

One thing I can say about the ME generation is that they can party like nobody else. Music was big part of it, and the music in this movie is great.

The women of this movie are also great. I'm sure some women would say the same about the men in this movie too.

What this country lost in terms of the car culture seems to be still going in parts of Asia, especially Japan. Initial D is almost a transplant of this movie to the hills of Mt. Akina.

The good old days. I like this movie better than the Easy Rider. It really brings back the good times.

One of the first uncensored movies I saw, thanks to a young HBO. Add in an early 80's Harry Hamlin with a near afro, that dark haired chick from the "Warriors" and "Too Close For Comfort", a crackpot turn by Dennis Hopper, Mullholland Drive drag racing, some cheesy soundtrack music and you have a a beautiful time capsule. Harry is the top drag racer on Mullholland Drive, but Dennis Hopper, who used to be the top gun before taking too many drugs or something like that, is ready for a showdown. I think. I might remember better if this movie was at all available. Really gets at that moment where what we know as the 80's was just beginning, while the 70's was still hanging around in the ether. Tight Sergio Valente jeans, members only jackets, but hair still in that big 70's mode.