Review of Cannonball Run, The

Introduction

I think the plot for this movie goes without saying. There`s a coast to coast race against the clock and against each other while evading law enforcement and cracking sharp one liners. The look of the movie does reflect the 80`s, but this is no bad thing. The story is simple enough to understand and appeals to a wide audience. Even in 2001, I still I enjoy it.

Where else would you get a cast featuring Burt Reynolds, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jnr, Roger Moore, Dom DeLuise, Farrah Fawcett and Jackie Chan? :-)

Video

The anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer to DVD isn`t bad from what I can see. No signs of compression or artifacting were noticable and the print is crisp for NTSC. There is some of the usual film dirt, particularly in the opening titles, but this isn`t really a problem.

Audio

Not a lot in terms of modern day DVDs packing audio punch, this movie was made in stereo so the cross over to DD 5.1 isn`t overwhelming. Let`s just say that the sound is clearly driven and functional.

Features

There isn`t a lot here in terms of packed features, there`s a static menu with scene selection, Cast and Crew bios, Dolby 5.1/2.0 audio, English subtitles and Director Commentary all wrapped up in a cardboard snapper case. If you get the chance though, watch the movie from start to finish with the Director Commentary, it`s a laugh! Apart from the usual stuff about how certain shots were achieved, for the most part Hal Needham and Albert Ruddy recant numerous stories about the cast while making the movie, and it`s a real joy to listen to. Oh, and don`t forget about the outtakes at the end of the movie. :-)

Conclusion

I would heartily recommend a viewing, it`s a great way to enjoy the quintessential movie of the eighties! If you liked it the first time around, I`m sure you`ll want to keep and enjoy this. For me, the opening titles with the Lamborghini sets up the film perfectly! I still laugh while I watch this movie. It`s one of those easy to watch movies that you can just plonk on and watch. It doesn`t have much in the way of features, but does have a really good Director Commentary track which is a pleasure to listen to. There`s some minor language dubbing in place but this hardly takes anything away from the movie. There are differences between region 1 and 2. Region 1 has the Director Commentary, English subtitles for those that need it, and the original Fox animated car chase at the start. The video quality too is good considering its age and I`m sure you can pick it up cheap from somewhere.

Fans should avoid the region 2 version and get the region 1 film.