Welcome to the world of car crash cinema, the ‘70s drive-in dynamite of sleek wheels, fast action and steel-crushing vehicular violence. The Arizona police are paralyzed by a wave of unsolved car thefts so they call in the only person who can help: tough guy icon Joe Don Baker! Partnered with his ex-flame (Cagney & Lacey’s Tyne Daly), he’s in pursuit and hot on the trail of the elusive Road Runner through the sun-bleached streets of Phoenix and the dusty outskirts of Tempe. It’s red-blooded Mopar mania as tires squeal and engines run hot. The camera speeds down windy roads and flies through a demolition derby. Robert Loggia shows up as a mob boss, Natalie Wood’s younger sister Lana plays a flaky psychic and Corman fave Roberta Collins pops up as a student driver. Heck, indie film icon Timothy Carey even wears a Hawaiian shirt. It’s fast ‘n furious, rubber-burning, gear-grinding, free-wheelin’ fun!
