I first watched Two-Lane Blacktop after picking it up at my local library, I hardly had a choice, after all, it cried to me from its beat up case and torn out booklet as it rested on the library shelves. So that night I placed the beautiful disk into my DVD player, sat down, and watched the whole thing through (Which is important to note, since I almost never watch an entire movie in one sitting). Two-Lane Blacktop is the bare-boned story directed by Monte Hellman. It's one of those movies with basically no plot line, which in this case is not a bad thing. The characters receive no history, and barely any dialogue, but it didn't bother me in the least. We follow two unnamed characters played by James Taylor (Didn't know he played in a movie? me neither.) and Dennis Wilson (Yes, the one from the beach boys.) And both hold up well for not being actors by trade. They roam the country in a souped up 55' Chevy barely getting by, pick up a young homeless girl, and challenge an older gentleman and his GTO to a cross country race. The winner receives the losers car. But both parties seem rather uninterested in the race, which I personally found somewhat strange. But I guess in the end, this movies not about plot, or character, or action, its about going through life without experiencing the people who inhabit it, that's what it meant to me at least.
Needless to say, I enjoyed this movie, I honestly wish there were more like it. I guess you'll be the first to know when I come across a similar film. Until then, I encourage you to check this out, whether it be beat up from the shelf of your library, or brand new from the video store.
http://www.criterion.com/films/847-two-lane-blacktop
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