Fast Company (1979)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

David Cronenberg

Writers:

Nicholas Campbell (screenplay)
David Cronenberg (writer)

Release Date:

August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The danger. The rush. The victory.

Plot:

Standard good guys vs. bad guys drag racing movie. Nice scene of the driver's view during a funny car run.. |

Plot Keywords:

Drag Racing | Racing | Funny Car | Business Ethics | Automobile Racing

Cast

William Smith	...	Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson
Claudia Jennings	...	Sammy
John Saxon	...	Phil Adamson
Nicholas Campbell	...	Billy 'The Kid' Brocker
Don Francks	...	Elder
Cedric Smith	...	Gary 'The Blacksmith' Black
Judy Foster	...	Candy
Robert Haley	...	P.J.
George Buza	...	Meatball
David Graham	...	Stoner
David Petersen	...	Slezak
Chuck Chandler	...	Edmonton Track Announcer
Cheri Hilsabeck	...	Hitchhiker
Sonya Ratke	...	Hitchhiker
Michael Bell	...	Chuck Randall

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Canadian Film Development Corporation (CFDC)

Trivia:

Finnish video release's cover sheet mentions Jodie Foster having a role in this movie. Actually Judy Foster is in the cast.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Lonnie Johnson catches fire, he pulls the safety and hits his fire bottles. In reality the safety is pulled before the run and is re-pinned after the run

Quotes:

Elder: What are you gonna do now?
Lonnie 'Lucky Man' Johnson: We will enjoy our life.
Sammy: Yes, at least for one week.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hollywood North (2003)

High-Octane Excitement with a Cronenberg Twist!!!

William Smith plays Lonnie Johnson, an aging race car driver, who's sponsor, FastCo Motor Treatment, represented by John Saxon, is about to can him due their quest for a youthful and cheaper image. Claudia Jennings is his long-distance girlfriend in a not wholly original, but fascinating look at the traveling race-car circuit and it's casualties.

This may be the ultimate drive-in feature; part-documentary, part-exploitation puncuated by moments of eerie silence that proves Cronenberg can do anything he wants with any type of material and make it interesting. Strange, lingering scenes of mechanics maintaining vehicles with up-close clinical precision (as well as surreal inside-the-car camerawork) will satisfy Cronenberg's most hardcore fans, as well as the sense of desolation and alienation amongst the highways, broken-down racetracks, and most importantly, the fans and drivers of the Pacific Northwest. This may be Cronenberg's most interesting film, since it's material you would never expect him to tackle, and because it's the least-seen movie in his catalogue. Highly recommended and worth tracking down by any means necessary.