Film of the Week: Vanishing Point (1971)

We're back to discussing a film this week, and what better to come back with than Vanishing Point. Throughout film history, a special breed of films called exploitation films have lived in the shadows. Ignored by mainstream audiences, these films gained their name from "exploiting" certain things such as violence or nudity, and many have attracted large cult followings. While exploitation films may exploit anything from the sexuality of Nazism to the violence of cannibalism, Vanishing Point is a carsploitation film. First, yes carsploitation is an actual term and it refers to films that attract audiences by offering outrageous stunts performed in cars. Vanishing Point is widely considered to be the best film of this genre though others such as Gone in 60 Seconds and more recently the Fast and the Furious films are also quite popular. Vanishing Point may be the ultimate movie for guys. It's exciting and filled with high speed chases, and in addition to that the protagonist meets all sorts of strange characters such as a blind radio host and a nude woman on a motorcycle. While Vanishing Point lacks an intricate plot or any real character development, it is very entertaining and I recommend it to anyone just looking for a good time.