Pit Stop a/k/a The Winner Review

"Flesh Against Steel! Raw Guts for Glory!"

Number Four on my Top Ten Car Movies is Pit Stop (originally entitled The Winner), written and directed by Jack Hill (Spider Baby, Coffy), the story of a slicked-back drag racer named Rick Bowman, played by Dick Davalos (best known for playing James Dean's brother in East of Eden), who is recruited to drive in "Figure 8" races, a totally insane (and real) form of car racing. Figure 8 tracks were just what they sound like, designed to maximize the mayhem when cars crossed the intersection in the middle of the race course.

Bowman is a classic anti-hero, a street punk whose arrogance and selfishness are what makes him a "winner."

Made in 1967 but not released until 1969, this film is highly underrated, having been consigned to the bottom half of double bills when it was released, due to the fact that black & white films had gone out of fashion, but deserves a greater reputation, as it is one of the best films of its kind. Hill filmed the mayhem up close and personal, capturing many real crashes, and gets some fine performances out of his cast, which also includes veteran character actor Brian Donlevy (his final screen credit), Ellen Burstyn (here billed as Ellen McRae), and Spider Baby vets Beverly Washburn and Sid Haig (outstanding as Bowman's mentally unhinged rival).

For an obscure exploitation picture, Pit Stop is damn good, and sticks with the viewer long after the credits have rolled. While Hill's cult status is due largely to his blaxploitation films with Pam Grier, as well as the incredible Spider Baby and the girl-gang masterpiece Switchblade Sisters, this is arguably his best work. The action sequences are wild, the story is timeless, the black & white cinematography is genius, and, as I said, the performances are excellent.

Released on DVD by Anchor Bay in 2000, it is now out of print, but can still be found, and well worth tracking down.